ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Acquittals

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many judge-ordered acquittals there were in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the number of judge-ordered acquittals reported in cases it has handled for the last nine financial years. The number of recorded cases is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Judge-ordered acquittals 
			 2004-05 13,955 
			 2005-06 12,663 
			 2006-07 12,290 
			 2007-08 12,509 
			 2008-09 12,198 
			 2009-10 12,930 
			 2010-11 15,041 
			 2011-12 12,670 
			 2012-13 11,338

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Attorney-General what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by the Law Officers' Departments, their agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.

Oliver Heald: The total running costs for each building in central London used or rented by the Crown Prosecution Service in each of the last three financial years is as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			 Building 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Rose Court, SE1 4,574,581 4,156,168 5,853,816 
			 The Cooperage, SE1 1,607,265 1,896,631 1,685,557 
			 Drummond Gate, SW1 n/a n/a 2,555,012 
			 Artillery Row, SW1 212,653 316,209 280,835 
			 New Kings Beam House, SE1 3,000,000 1,500,000 n/a 
			 50 Ludgate Hill, EC4 1,262,484 n/a n/a 
		
	
	The Serious Fraud Office's moved to new premises in Cockspur Street in November 2012; prior to this it leased Elm House in Elm Street and the ITN building at 200 Grays Inn Road.
	These leases expired in December 2012. The total running costs for these buildings was £4,807,183 in 2010-11, £4,353,583 in 2011-12 and £4,358,925 in 2012-13.
	The total net running costs for each building rented by TSol, HMCPSI and AGO in central London in the last year financial years were as follows:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 TSol:    
			 One Kemble Street, London, WC2B 4TS. Floors 4-15 5,154,103 4,892,827 4,941,748 
			 HMCPSI:    
			 26-28 Old Queen Street, London, SW1H 9HP (until September 2011) (from April 2011) One Kemble Street, London, WC2B 4TS 597,030 465,698 205,282 
			 AGO:    
			 20 Victoria Street, London SW1H ONF 1,076,539 775,582 777,293 
		
	
	A number of TSol staff are co-located in other Government Buildings in central London where they provide legal advice to Departments based there. The running costs for these properties are not included in this response.

Convictions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the conviction rate is for each regional division of the Crown Prosecution Service for (a) all offences, (b) offences against the person, (c) burglary, (d) drugs offences and (e) fraud.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the outcomes of cases according to the case's principal offence category (POC). The POC indicates the most serious offence with which a defendant is charged at the time a case is finalised. The conviction rates for the 2012-13 period are contained in the following table.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  All Cases Offences Against the Person Burglary Drugs Offences Fraud 
			 Cymru Wales 87.7 78.7 87.1 95.3 85.6 
			 Eastern 88.7 81.1 88.6 94.9 88.7 
			 East Midlands 86.1 76.7 83.4 93.3 84.4 
			 London 80.5 66.3 76.2 92.7 81.6 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 87.9 77.4 88.1 92.9 87.4 
			 North East 86.1 75.1 87.7 93.9 89.9 
			 North West 87.3 77.2 87.9 94.0 87.6 
			 South East 85.8 75.1 83.6 93.7 83.7 
			 South West 86.8 77.6 88.1 94.5 . 88.8 
			 Thames and Chiltern 85.4 72.4 83.0 93.0 85.0 
			 Wessex 84.4 74.9 85.4 94.4 88.6 
			 West Midlands 86.4 75.8 85.4 94.1 86.2 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 85.9 76.6 83.6 93.2 81.6

Crown Prosecution Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney General what proportion of advocacy conducted by barristers and solicitors in each regional division of the Crown Prosecution Service is provided (a) in-house and (b) externally.

Oliver Heald: In relation to Crown Court and Higher Courts advocacy, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains records of the proportion of work undertaken by in-house and external advocates in value terms, by reference to advocate fees payable in accordance with CPS fee schemes. The national and area positions for 2012-13 are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 2012-13—CPS Crown Court and Higher Courts Advocacy by value 
			 Percentage 
			  In-house advocacy External advocacy 
			 13 CPS areas 28 72 
			    
			 Cymru Wales 27 73 
			 East of England 35 65 
			 East Midlands 22 78 
			 London 19 81 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 24 76 
			 North East 33 67 
			 North West 31 69 
			 South East 31 69 
			 South West 29 71 
			 Thames and Chiltern 32 68 
			 Wessex 41 59 
			 West Midlands 43 57 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 30 70 
		
	
	In relation to magistrates courts advocacy, the CPS maintains records of the number and proportion of half-day sessions conducted by in-house and external advocates. The national and area positions for 2012-13 are detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 2012-13—CPS Magistrates Courts Sessions 
			 Percentage 
			  Covered by in-house associate prosecutors Covered by in-house solicitors and barristers Covered by external advocates 
			 13 CPS areas 32 48 20 
			     
			 Cymru Wales 36 56 8 
			 East of England 32 53 16 
			 East Midlands 29 38 33 
			 London 31 38 31 
			 Merseyside and Cheshire 33 64 3 
			 North East 25 54 21 
			 North West 34 53 13 
			 South East 28' 54 17 
			 South West 24 44 32 
			 Thames and Chiltern 29 58 13 
			 Wessex 32 64 4 
		
	
	
		
			 West Midlands 33 53 14 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 45 29 26 
		
	
	The classification of in-house advocates includes associate prosecutors, who are not solicitors or barristers but are the equivalent of legal executives.

GPT

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what the current status is of the Serious Fraud Office's investigation into alleged bribery by GPT Special Project Management Limited in Saudi Arabia; and if he will make a statement.

Oliver Heald: The Director of the Serious Fraud Office and Attorney-General meet frequently to discuss various cases in line with the Protocol between the Attorney-General and the Prosecuting Departments. It would not be appropriate to give a running commentary on current investigations.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were dropped in the Crown Court because the court held that the charge should lie on the file in (a) 2012-13 and (b) the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service holds figures for the number of its prosecutions (by defendant) which were dropped after the consent of the judge was given to leave an indictment or counts on the file for the last nine financial years. Records are not held centrally for earlier years and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Prosecutions with outcome—lie on file 
			 2004-05 698 
			 2005-06 666 
			 2006-07 626 
			 2007-08 613 
			 2008-09 610 
			 2009-10 607 
			 2010-11 648 
			 2011-12 475 
			 2012-13 422

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were dropped in the Crown Court because the indictment was stayed in (a) 2012-13 and (b) the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds figures for the number of its prosecutions (by defendant) which were dropped because the indictment was stayed for the last seven financial years, which are contained in the following table. Records are not held centrally for earlier years and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Prosecutions with outcome—indictment stayed 
			 2006-07 188 
			 2007-08 215 
			 2008-09 231 
			 2009-10 255 
			 2010-11 244 
			 2011-12 222 
			 2012-13 208

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were discontinued in the magistrates' court because the summons was withdrawn in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) holds figures for the number of prosecutions (by defendant) withdrawn in the magistrates court, for the last nine financial years. These data includes prosecutions commenced by both charging and by summons, which cannot be disaggregated without incurring disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Prosecutions with outcome—withdrawn (magistrates court) 
			 2004-05 66,749 
			 2005-06 48,568 
			 2006-07 35,204 
			 2007-08 29,292 
			 2008-09 24,522 
			 2009-10 22,857 
			 2010-11 22,085 
			 2011-12 20,274 
			 2012-13 17,250

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were dropped on (a) evidential and (b) public interest grounds in (i) 2012-13 and (ii) each of the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains a central record of the reasons for dropping cases for the last nine financial years only. Figures for earlier years could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
	The number of CPS prosecutions (by defendant) dropped for either evidential or public interest reasons are outlined in the following table.
	
		
			  Dropped for evidential reasons Dropped for public interest reasons 
			 2004-05 59,770 26,767 
			 2005-06 62,643 27,791 
			 2006-07 56,818 26,162 
			 2007-08 51,951 24,754 
			 2008-09 47,814 20,063 
			 2009-10 46,314 20,910 
			 2010-11 48,682 21,707 
			 2011-12 44,084 20,555 
			 2012-13 38,413 18,207 
		
	
	Dropped cases include those where the CPS discontinue, withdraw or offer no evidence or where the prosecution or indictment is stayed or charges are left to lie on file.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions were dropped before the case was served because upon review in the Crown Court it was apparent that the trial could not proceed or there was a lack of evidence in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of Crown court cases it has handled which were dropped before the case was served. Such data could not reasonably be obtained locally or nationally other than by manual exercise which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Prosecutions

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many trials were ineffective because of prosecution error in (a) 2012-13 and (b) each of the preceding 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of the proportion of trials that were ineffective because of prosecution error. Such data could not be reasonably obtained locally or nationally other than by undertaking a manual exercise of reviewing individual case files which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunal Service do collect data on the numbers of ineffective trials, however this information does not identify the number of trials that were ineffective because of prosecution error.

Public Service: Misconduct

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Attorney-General how many people have been prosecuted for the offence of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office since 2005.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people prosecuted for the offence of conspiracy to commit misconduct in a public office. Such data could not reasonably be obtained locally or nationally other than by a manual exercise which would incur a disproportionate cost.
	The CPS does maintain a central record of the number of offences of misconduct in a public office contrary to common law which reached a hearing in the magistrates court.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General for which offences the Serious Fraud Office is named in legislation as the lead prosecutor; and how many (a) investigations and (b) prosecutions it has undertaken for each of these offence categories in the last five years.

Oliver Heald: The Serious Fraud Office is not named as the lead prosecutor in any legislation.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General how many prosecutions the Serious Fraud Office carried out in 2012-13, by category of offence; and what the conviction rate was in that period.

Dominic Grieve: The conviction rate for 2012-13 is 70%. 14 out of 20 defendants were convicted of at least one charge. Information is not held by category of offence.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Serious Fraud Office’s evidence storage systems.

Dominic Grieve: The SFO uses an industry standard digital storage system to store evidential material. The current system was procured from a specialist provider in 2009 as part of an IT transformation programme. Digital technology is constantly evolving, so of course the SFO keeps the performance and effectiveness of the system under review to ensure it serves its needs and is being used effectively. The system is fully supported by the manufacturer through a robust and comprehensive maintenance contract, and the SFO has not experienced any service outages caused by the system.

Serious Fraud Office

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Attorney-General in what way and for how long the Serious Fraud Office's (SFO) tender for representing the SFO in the Tchenguiz damages claim was advertised; and how many law firms submitted bids.

Oliver Heald: On 31 January and 1 February, the Tchenguiz brothers served their respective particulars of claim on the SFO, in which they sought damages in excess of £300 million. Given the very substantial amount of tax-payers’ money sought, and bearing in mind that the SFO had only four weeks to serve its defence, an accelerated procurement exercise was required.
	During the first week of February 2013, four City firms were identified by the SFO as having relevant commercial litigation experience and approached by the SFO. Each firm was given the same overview of the case and asked (i) whether it could act for the SFO, (ii) whether it would want to act for the SFO and (iii) the rates it would charge if appointed. Of the two firms that were able and willing to represent the SFO, the firm that offered the best value was appointed.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Afghanistan

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will provide asylum for Afghan translators used by British military forces in Helmand province in Afghanistan when UK armed forces are withdrawn from that country.

Mark Harper: Work is progressing on reviewing how to make appropriate provision to support locally employed civilians as we draw down our combat mission in Afghanistan. We continue to recognise our clear commitment to treat locally engaged staff fairly and appropriately, and to take all reasonable steps to ensure their safety and security beyond the term of their employment with Her Majesty's Government.
	The UK does not accept asylum claims made from abroad. But any asylum claim made in the UK will be considered on its individual merits and protection offered to those who are found to be at genuine risk of serious harm in their country of origin.

Armed Conflict: Syria

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of UK citizens fighting against the Assad regime in Syria.

Alistair Burt: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
	We judge that Syria is now the number one destination for jihadists anywhere in the world today. Violent extremist groups are attracting a large number of foreign fighters of all nationalities, including a substantial number of UK citizens. We are unsure of the precise number involved in fighting against the Assad regime. Our objective in Syria is a diplomatic solution that leads to an end to the violence and a Syrian-led political transition. To help deliver that we are focussed on building the credibility and capability of the moderate opposition to boost their appeal and effectiveness relative to extremist groups.

Asylum: Kuwait

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Kuwaiti Bidoons have claimed asylum in the UK in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Mark Harper: The following table shows the number of asylum applications-received from Kuwaiti Bidoons for which records are available. Figures relate to main applicants only.
	
		
			  Number of applications 
			 2008 3 
			 2009 43 
			 2010 106 
			 2011(1) 179 
			 2012(1) 185 
			 (1) Provisional. 
		
	
	The data shown are a subset of the data published in table as 01(Asylum data tables volume 1) of Immigration Statistics. The latest release Immigration Statistics October- December 2012 is available in the Library of the House and from the GOV website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012
	Prior to March 2009, applicants who were Kuwaiti Bidoons would have generally been recorded as nationals of “Kuwait” or as “Stateless” or another similar category such as “Refugees” or “Unknown”.
	Data for Q1 2013 will be available from 23 May 2013.

Drugs: Misuse

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the current level of sales of legal highs and of recent trends in such sales.

Jeremy Browne: No estimate has been made of levels and trends in overall sales of ‘legal highs' containing new psychoactive substances (NPS) which are not controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in the UK.
	However, the Government and our independent drug experts, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, continue to monitor the emergence of NPS through UK and EU drugs early warning systems. These include the Home Office's Forensic Early Warning System (FEWS) which identifies and monitors the emergence of NPS (controlled and non-controlled) in the UK. The first annual report of the FEWS we published last year is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/98031/fews.pdf

Entry Clearances: Palestinians

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Palestinians from (a) Gaza and (b) the West Bank have applied to travel to the UK for study or visits in each of the last three years; and how many such applications were (i) accepted and (ii) declined.

Mark Harper: A breakdown of Palestinian visa applicants into those who are residents of Gaza or from the West Bank (or elsewhere) is not available. The latest available published statistics for applications for visas, their issue and refusal for nationals of the Occupied Palestinian Territories for the last three years appears in the following table.
	
		
			 Entry clearance visas applied for, issued and refused to nationals of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, 2010 to 2012 
			  Applications Resolved Of which: 
			    Issued Refused Lapsed 
			 2010 Total 3,579 3,557 2,665 859 33 
			 Of which:      
			 Visitors n/a n/a 2,150 n/a n/a 
			 Study (including student visitors n/a n/a 319 n/a n/a 
			 2011 Total 3,725 3,663 2,812 813 38 
			 Of which:      
			 Visitors n/a n/a 2,313 n/a n/a 
			 Study (including student visitors) n/a n/a 338 n/a n/a 
			 2012 Total 3,818 3,882 2,839 1,010 33 
			 Of which:      
			 Visitors n/a n/a 2,328 n/a n/a 
			 Study (including student visitors) n/a n/a 323 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = not available Notes: 1. Figures include dependants 2. Country of Nationality recorded as 'Occupied Palestinian Territories'. Source: Immigration Statistics. October to December 2013. Table be.02.q, be.06.q.a and be. 06.q.o 
		
	
	The latest Home Office immigration statistics on entry clearance visas are published in the release Immigration Statistics October-December 2012, which is available from the Library of the House and on the Department's website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2012

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the current level of expenditure by her Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by her Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

James Brokenshire: For the last full financial year (2012-13) the Home Department's total expenditure on contracts with G4S was £43,749,652.
	The Home Department's expenditure on contracts with G4S since financial year 2007-08 is detailed in the following table. The figure for 2013-14 is the expenditure to date in the financial year.
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£) 
			 2007-08 165,811,278 
			 2008-09 166,974,282 
			 2009-10 94,400,939 
			 2010-11 103,256,935 
			 2011-12 43,429,504 
			 2012-13 43,749,652 
			 2013-14 5,605,310

Inflation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail price index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer price index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department uses the following inflation indexes for the following purposes:
	(a) The retail price index (RPI) is used to calculate inflation driven price increases in contracts including those for PFI, rent and maintenance.
	(b) The consumer price index (CPI) is used to calculate inflation driven price increases in contracts, including those for rent and maintenance. It is also used for Asylum subsistence payments.
	(c) Other alternative measures of inflation issued by the Office of National Statistics can be used if RPI or CPI are not considered appropriate.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the letter to the Minister for Immigration dated 3 April 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr George Martin McCarthy.

Mark Harper: I wrote to the right hon. Member on 13 May 2013.

Members: Correspondence

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she intends to reply to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Harrow West dated 4 March and 15 April 2013 to the UK Border Agency regarding Mr Vishal Patel of Harrow.

Mark Harper: A Home Office senior manager wrote to the hon. Member on 13 May 2013.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in her Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office's Misconduct policy allows, in exceptional circumstances, for other penalties to be imposed as an alternative to dismissal or in addition to a final warning. This would include the ability to remove a bonus payment if appropriate.
	A bonus payment would be deducted at source from the individual's salary. Should the individual have left the Department a repayment plan would be put in place.
	There have been no recorded instances within the last five years.

Police: Recruitment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent changes have been introduced in relation to the recruitment of police officers; and what assessment she plans to make of recruitment levels of officers from (a) black and minority ethnic communities and (b) deprived communities.

Damian Green: The Government want to attract the best people to careers in policing to ensure forces are best able to fight crime and keep communities safe. Following the recommendations of the Independent Review of Police Terms and Conditions led by Tom Winsor, the Government will introduce new recruitment criteria for officers at constable rank to include relevant policing experience and knowledge of policing or a level 3 qualification. We are also introducing direct entry at senior ranks of the police to open up the police and improve leadership.
	We believe a workforce that is more representative of the communities it serves is a vital element in building trust and confidence in policing. We do not collect data specifically on recruitment from deprived communities. We do collect and publish data on Black and Minority Ethnic representation in the police workforce, which shows that the police have made good progress, but there is much further to go if forces are to reflect better the communities they serve. We will continue to work with forces, the College of Policing and other partners to ensure police has a diverse and high-quality workforce.

Police: Road Traffic Control

Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many road traffic officers have been employed in each of the last five years.

Damian Green: The latest available figures show the number of police officers within the traffic policing function in England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2011-12 (full-time equivalent), and are provided within the following table.
	
		
			 Number of police officers within the traffic policing function in England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2011-12(1,2,3) 
			  Police Officers 
			 2007-08 6,299 
			 2008-09 5,714 
			 2009-10 5,634 
			 2010-11 5,316 
			 2011-12 4,868 
			 (1) Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The deployment of police officers is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables. (2) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (3) Traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motor-cycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. This includes officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties. Also includes staff who are predominantly employed to support the traffic function of the force including radar, accident investigation, vehicle examination and traffic administration. Includes those officers working with hazardous chemicals, and those administrative staff predominantly serving the internal needs of the traffic function of the force and those officers/staff in supporting roles.

Scotland

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) her Department and (b) its non-departmental public bodies procured from companies based in Scotland of a value in excess of £25,000 since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such procurement contract.

James Brokenshire: This information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

UK Border Agency: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK Border Agency staff in Scotland have been re-employed by that Agency having previously been made redundant in each of the last 3 years.

Mark Harper: There have been no staff re-employed by the Home Office, formerly the UK Border Agency, who were previously made redundant in any of the last three years.

WALES

Energy

Karl McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent assessment he has made of the potential contribution of Wales to the UK's national energy infrastructure.

Stephen Crabb: Wales already makes a significant contribution to the UK's energy infrastructure but we have the potential to achieve even more. Hitachi's investment in new nuclear at Wylfa highlights the attractiveness of Wales as a place to do business and invest, and will make a significant contribution to meeting the country's energy demands.

JUSTICE

Coroners: Teesside

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the review by the Office for Judicial Complaints of the performance of the Teesside Coroner has been completed; and when the findings of that review will be made public.

Helen Grant: The Office for Judicial Complaints is investigating the conduct of Her Majesty's Coroner for Teesside and will report to the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice once it has completed the prescribed procedures as required by the Judicial Discipline (Prescribed Procedures) Regulations 2006 (as amended).

Crime: Victims

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the respective roles are of a victim's commissioner and a police and crime commissioner in relation to victims.

Helen Grant: The victims' commissioner and police and crime commissioners (PCCs) perform quite separate functions in relation to victims.
	The role of the victims' commissioner is to ensure the voice of victims and witnesses are heard at the heart of Government, making sure their needs in relation to the whole criminal justice system are represented. The commissioner will also keep under review the operation of the statutory victims' code and its use by criminal justice agencies. The victims' commissioner has no powers to award grants and has no commissioning powers.
	Police and crime commissioners have a duty to consult with victims on issues of policing providing victims of crime with a voice at a local level. PCCs will also be responsible for the commissioning of the majority of victims support services at a local level from 2014.

Crime: Victims

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to provide assistance with emotional, legal and practical problems to victims' families who were bereaved before the implementation of the Victim Support National Homicide Service in November 2010.

Helen Grant: The Victim Support National Homicide Service began operating in April 2010. Several specialist organisations provide vital and expert support to those bereaved by homicide prior to the implementation of the Homicide Service. The following organisations have received funding from the Ministry of Justice:
	
		
			 £ 
			  Financial year (1 March to 30 April) 
			 Organisation 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Support After Murder and Manslaughter (SAMM) 140,000 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 ASSIST Trauma Care — 95,000 60,000 60,000 
			 Winston's Wish — — 20,000 20,000 
			 Cruse Bereavement Care — — 20,000 20,000 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice is also providing £250,000 in grant funding during the 2012-13 and 2013-14 financial years to 13 organisations that provide peer support to those bereaved by homicide. Following the report into homicide of the previous v ictims' commissioner, Louise Casey, the Government extended the provision for trauma and bereavement support for homicide victims. This enables the Government-funded peer support organisations —in addition to other services they provide—to refer clients who were bereaved prior to April 2010 for specialist trauma and bereavement support to the three organisations currently receiving grants that are shown in the table above.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

Jeremy Wright: The Department does not record data at the level that has been requested.

Magistrates Courts: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for the future of (a) Worksop and (b) Mansfield Magistrates' Court.

Helen Grant: HMCTS continues to keep the use of its estate under review to ensure it meets operational requirements.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the cost to his Department of appeals against the work capability assessment in 2012-13.

Helen Grant: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
	The estimated total cost of the 163,250 ESA appeals in which the work capability assessment was a factor disposed of during the period April to December 2012 (the latest period for which data have been published) is £37 million.
	These estimated costs were calculated by multiplying the average cost of an individual First-tier Tribunal—Social Security and Child Support case in 2011-12 (the latest period for which this data are available) by the number of ESA appeals disposed of, in which the work capability assessment was a factor.
	The average cost of an appeal in 2011-12 was £228. This is a reduction from £239 in 2010-11 and £293 in 2009-10. Since 2009-10, the average cost of an appeal has reduced by 22%. HMCTS constantly reviews and looks continuously to improve its administrative processes in order to continue to drive down the costs of SSCS appeals.

Work Capability Assessment: Appeals

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the proportion of people who successfully appealed against a work capability assessment decision in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) South Lanarkshire in 2012-13.

Helen Grant: HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) hears appeals against Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) decisions on entitlement to employment and support allowance (ESA) (decisions in which the work capability assessment is a key factor) rather than appeals against work capability assessment decisions themselves.
	The SSCS Tribunal covers Great Britain but not Northern Ireland, which has its own Appeals Service. The tribunal venue in Hamilton serves appellants living in South Lanarkshire as well as other nearby locations.
	A combination of reasons can lead to a decision being overturned on appeal. For example a hearing may generate additional evidence, in particular oral evidence provided by the appellant at the hearing.
	HMCTS and DWP are working closely together to improve the process for decision making and appeals. HMCTS introduced a revised decision notice in July 2012 to provide feedback on reasons for overturned DWP decisions. From April 2013 DWP introduced mandatory reconsideration for universal credit and personal independence payment, which will be extended to all other DWP administered benefits and child maintenance cases from October 2013.
	The mandatory reconsideration process results in a linear, escalating process for claimants wishing to dispute decisions. The decision maker will contact the claimant to provide an explanation of the decision under dispute and encourage the claimant to provide any additional information or evidence that may change the decision. This will ensure DWP has an opportunity to resolve disputes at an early stage.
	The following tables show the number and proportion of ESA appeals, where work capability assessment was a factor, separated into those in which the tribunal found in favour of the appellant, and those in favour of the DWP, between April to December 2012 (the latest period for which information is available) in (a) Great Britain, (b) Scotland, and (c) Hamilton tribunal venue.
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance appeals—Great Britain 
			  April to December 2012 
			 Cleared at hearing(1) 140,195 
			 Decisions in favour of the appellant:  
			 Number 59,493 
			 Percentage 42 
			 Decisions in favour of DWP:  
		
	
	
		
			 Number 80,305 
			 Percentage 57 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance appeals—Scotland 
			  April to December 2012 
			 Cleared at hearing(1) 19,375 
			 Decisions in favour of the appellant:  
			 Number 8,918 
			 Percentage 46 
			 Decisions in favour of DWP:  
			 Number 10,357 
			 Percentage 53 
		
	
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance appeals—Hamilton tribunal venue 
			  April to December 2012 
			 Cleared at hearing(1) 2,295 
			 Decisions in favour of the appellant:  
			 Number 968 
			 Percentage 42 
			 Decisions in favour of DWP:  
			 Number 1,322 
			 Percentage 58 
			 (1) These are cases that were disposed of at a hearing. The total number of cases cleared at hearing includes some cases that were withdrawn and on which no decision was made. These figures therefore are not the sum total of decisions in favour and decisions upheld. Note: Data are taken from management information.

SCOTLAND

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department in each of the last three financial years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has one building in central London, Dover House. The total cost of running Dover House, the Scotland Office headquarters in Whitehall, over the last three financial years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 477,215 
			 2011-12 507,410 
			 2012-13 514,693

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has a contract with G4S to provide 24-hour security at its Edinburgh office in Melville Crescent. The total cost since 2008 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure (£) 
			 2007-08 90,327 
			 2008-09 88,669 
			 2009-10 76,986 
			 2010-11 90,998 
			 2011-12 87,888 
			 2012-13 92,940

Housing Benefit

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bilateral meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions or other Ministers in that department to discuss the effects of the introduction of size-criteria for the housing benefit of people renting in the social rented sector since 1 June 2010.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and other Ministers in that Department on a range of issues relating to welfare reform in Scotland, including the introduction of size criteria for accommodation in the social rented sector. In addition, I have recently met representatives from all of Scotland's local authorities, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and a range of housing associations to discuss how these organisations are responding to the incoming changes.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures.

David Mundell: Other than minor or bespoke purchases, the Scotland Office does not undertake direct procurement or tendering projects. It utilises existing framework contracts between suppliers and the Scottish Government or the Ministry of Justice.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has not subscribed to any academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer, and (d) any other academic publishers in any of the last five years. From time to time the Office has purchased individual academic publications but it has not subscribed to any academic journals.

Welfare State: Reform

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many bilateral meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions or other Ministers in that Ddepartment to discuss the effects of welfare reform in Scotland since 1 June 2010.

David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland, the right hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Michael Moore), and I are in regular contact with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and other Ministers in that Department on a range of issues relating to welfare reform in Scotland.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by her Department and its non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.

Michael Penning: My Department rents office space in one building in central London. The total running costs for each of the last three financial years were as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 1,357,491 
			 2011-12 1,453,667 
			 2012-13 1,574,178 
		
	
	On 25 February 2013, the London office relocated to new accommodation at 1 Horse Guards Road. This move has enabled the Department to secure significant efficiency savings of just under £1 million per annum.
	My Department has two non-departmental public bodies—the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland; and one advisory non-departmental public body—the Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland. None of these bodies has premises in central London.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the current level of expenditure by her Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by her Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Michael Penning: Following the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, and subsequent reconfiguration of the Northern Ireland Office, my department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost
	My Department avails itself of a Department of Finance and Personnel NI contract with G4S for the provision of security guard services at its two sites in Northern Ireland. The levels of spending on this service since 2010 are as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 97,140 
			 2011-12 55,252 
			 2012-13 91,675

Inflation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the purposes for which her Department uses (a) the retail prices index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer prices index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation.

Theresa Villiers: My Department does not use either the retail prices index or the consumer price index for any purpose.
	In order to meet Government accounting requirements, my Department uses a combination of the Office for National Statistics Tax and Price Index and specific indices for specialised buildings and land supplied by Land and Property Services, Department of Finance and Personnel NI.

Northern Ireland Prison Service

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the contribution of the Minister of State for the Northern Ireland Office of 21 November 2012, Official Report, column 637, what progress she has made on holding a round-table discussion with all interested people on a prison service memorial garden.

Theresa Villiers: As the hon. Lady will be aware this is a devolved matter. However, it is an issue in which the Minister of State for Northern Ireland, my hon. Friend the Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning), takes a keen interest. He has discussed the issue with the Minister of Justice in the Northern Ireland Executive and will continue to do so.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps her Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance she has given to her Department's non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act.

Michael Penning: My Department and its sponsored bodies follow guidance from Cabinet Office and/or the Department of Finance and Personnel (NI) in implementing the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures. Advice and guidance on all procurement is provided directly to my Department's sponsored bodies by the Department of Finance and Personnel's Central Procurement Directorate.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much her Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Michael Penning: Following the devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010, my Department does not hold figures for the periods prior to 2010; attempting to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
	From April 2010, my Department has not incurred any spend on subscriptions to academic journals by any academic publisher.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's procedures for investigating alleged civilian deaths following unmanned aerial vehicle strikes in Afghanistan are; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: There are strict procedures, frequently updated in light of experience, intended both to minimise the risk of casualties occurring and to investigate any incidents that do happen. Any occasion on which a precision-guided weapon is released by an aircraft, whether manned or remotely piloted, is reviewed and where appropriate further investigations are initiated, including all instances in which a possible civilian casualty is reported.

Aircraft Carriers

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future basing of the Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carrier when overseas.

Andrew Robathan: There is no intention to base Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers overseas; the base port for the class is Her Majesty's Naval Base Portsmouth.

Falkland Islands: Rescue Services

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the User Requirements Document being written by the current Falkland Islands support helicopter supplier service users and service personnel to inform the role of Defence in search and rescue has been completed.

Philip Dunne: The Ministry of Defence continues to develop plans on the future provision of search and rescue helicopter capability in the Falkland Islands from 2016 onwards.

Kenya

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions his Department has had with the Kenyan Government in relation to the operation of UK unmanned aerial vehicles within its territory.

Andrew Robathan: The British Army Training Unit Kenya uses hand launched, unarmed, tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (such as the Desert Hawk III) for the purpose of training ground units. Manned aircraft are also used to simulate the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance effects of larger UAVs.
	This has been agreed with both the Kenyan Ministry of Defence and the Kenyan Civil Aviation Authority. Individual flights are notified to the Kenyan authorities.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 24 April 2013, Official Report, columns 905-6W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, what the reason was for the time taken to reveal the information contained in that answer.

Andrew Robathan: As my answer was a correction to the Official Report, the information needed to be retrieved, collated and verified to ensure it was accurate and reflected the data held.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any plans to review his policy on what information relating to unmanned aerial vehicles is held centrally.

Andrew Robathan: No.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether unmanned aerial vehicles have ever been flown by a team made up of both British and US forces.

Andrew Robathan: UK personnel, embedded at Creech Air Force Base, have flown US RPAS in support of operations in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. In addition, UK Reaper are launched and recovered in Afghanistan by a joint UK/US team based at Kandahar Air Base.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on accountability of US unmanned aerial vehicles flown by UK personnel.

Andrew Robathan: UK aircrew operating US Remotely Piloted Aircraft in Afghanistan come under the operational control of the NATO International Security and Assistance Force and in doing so operate in accordance with International Humanitarian Law also known as the Law of Armed Conflict and operate in accordance with UK Rules of Engagement at all times.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in the US about (a) armed unmanned aerial vehicle use in Pakistan and (b) the sharing of unmanned aerial vehicles between the UK and US.

Andrew Robathan: The Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), Ministers and officials regularly meet their US counterparts to discuss defence related topics. There have been no discussions on the use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in Pakistan, as the UK only operates its systems in support of UK and ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan. The use of UAS in Pakistan is a matter for the states involved.
	UK and US Air Force aircrew in Afghanistan regularly discuss the use of UK and USAF Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) as part of joint RPAS launch and recovery operations in Kandahar. The UK also has an arrangement in place that enables it to make use of a USAF airframe in the event of UK airframe not being available.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with his Pakistani counterparts on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in that country.

Andrew Robathan: The UK only operates its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in support of UK and ISAF ground forces in Afghanistan. The use of UAS in Pakistan is a matter for the states involved, and is therefore not a matter that the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), intends to discuss with his Pakistani counterpart.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a map indicating those areas within the UK where his Department may operate unmanned aerial vehicles.

Andrew Robathan: I will place in the Library of the House a map of the current Ministry of Defence (MOD) reserved airspace areas within the UK where Remotely Piloted Air Systems (RPAS) may be operated. MOD reserved airspace areas, which are subject to future changes as new operating practices and platforms come into service, can be used either for specific periods by RPAS as detailed in the UK Aeronautical Information Publication or by activation of a Notice to Airman (NOTAM).

Unmanned Air Vehicles: Guided Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when the testing of the Brimstone missile for use on the MQ-9 Reaper Unmanned Aerial Vehicle will begin;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of how much will be paid to the US Air Force's Big Safari programme to test the Brimstone missile.

Philip Dunne: We are currently working with the US Air Force's Big Safari Group to establish and agree the details of the test requirements and expect trials to proceed in the autumn. I am withholding information on cost estimates as their disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Festivals and Special Occasions

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimates she has made of the effect of small festivals with fewer than 5,000 attendees on the (a) national and (b) local economy.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England recently published an independent report by the Centre for Economics and Business Research that showed arts and culture provided £5.9 billion of gross value added in 2011. We also know that Music and Visual and Performing Arts contributed over £4 billion in GVA terms to the UK economy in 2009, exporting £286 million in 2009 and employing 293,000 in 2010. The artistic and cultural sectors, including small festivals, remain a vital contributor to wealth generation, tourism and increasing the country's reputation domestically and internationally for trade and visitors. The Government continue to examine the contribution that this sector makes.

Gambling

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department has taken to ensure that there is adequate research on the extent of problem gambling to inform policy-making.

Hugh Robertson: Following a Gambling Commission review and public consultation, the Health Surveys for England and Scotland have been used to gather prevalence data using identical problem gambling questions to those used in previous British Gambling Prevalence Surveys. The surveys are due to be published later this year and the results will be used to inform policy making and monitor any changes to problem gambling rates. Separately, the Responsible Gambling Trust is conducting research into all category B gaming machines to better understand how people behave when playing these machines and what helps people to stay in control and play responsibly.

Gambling: Internet

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of the size of the black market in online gambling (a) hosted in the UK and (b) used by UK consumers.

Hugh Robertson: Unregulated online gambling is by its nature difficult to quantify. We, therefore, do not have a reliable estimate of unlicensed online gambling activity hosted in the UK or used by UK customers.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she intends to reply to the letter to her dated 20 March 2013 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr O. Wahid.

Hugh Robertson: A reply was sent on 13 May. I apologise for the delay.

Public Libraries: Electronic Publishing

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the recommendations of the “Independent Review of E-lending in Public Libraries in England”, published in March 2013, when lending rights will be extended to (a) e-books and audiobooks lent on library premises and (b) e-books lent remotely.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 15 May 2013
	The Government response to William Sieghart’s review of e-lending in public libraries in England was published on 27 March 2013 and sets out the Government's position in terms of extending public lending right (PLR) to audiobooks and ebooks:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/an-independent-review-of-e-lending-in-public-libraries-in-england
	Any proposal for the potential extension of PLR will be communicated in due course, following full consideration of this matter.

Theatre

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to prevent the closure of local theatres as a result of local authority spending reductions.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer sent 14 May 2013
	Decisions on funding for the arts in this country are made at arm's length of Government by Arts Council England (ACE). ACE works closely with local authorities to share and discuss priorities, but this Government firmly believe that it is for local authorities to determine, in consultation with their communities, their priorities for spending.
	ACE funds 179 theatre organisations through Grant in Aid funding, including the Civic in Barnsley, and also invests lottery funding in the theatre sector: Catalyst funding, which helps arts organisations increase their fundraising capacity, has been awarded to 49 theatre organisations; a strategic touring fund of £15 million per year from 2012, has, in its first year, supported 17 theatre touring projects; and five of ACE's 17 digital R and D fund awards have been made to theatre projects.

WiFi: Non-domestic Rates

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport with reference to the answer of 17 April 2013, Official Report, columns 416-7W, on non-domestic rates: wi-fi, what outcomes there were from the meeting hosted by the Broadband Stakeholder Group between the Valuation Office Agency and industry.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 13 May 2013
	The Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) hosted a meeting between the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) and industry on 22 April on the subject of the non-domestic rating regime and wireless broadband infrastructure. VOA wilt be writing to interested parties and asked BSG and industry to provide evidence to help establish rental values for the rating process. The assessment of non-domestic rateable values is a matter for the VOA in which Ministers do not intervene.

TRANSPORT

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.

Norman Baker: The requested information is not centrally recorded in the format requested and could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
	However, the Department does publish information on the running costs of certain occupied administrative offices as part of the annual Cabinet Office Property Benchmarking programme. Further information is available on the Data.Gov website:
	http://data.gov.uk/dataset/epims

Bus Services: Concessions

Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) overall and (b) unit cost is of providing free bus travel to pensioners in (i) Worcester, (ii) Worcestershire and (iii) England.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport carries out surveys of Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) each year. The available information for reimbursement made to bus operators for concessionary travel for older and disabled people in 2011/12 is shown in the table below:
	
		
			  Total cost (£ million) Unit reimbursement cost per journey (pence) 
			 English non-metropolitan areas 434 95 
			 England 898 84 
		
	
	In addition TCAs will incur administration costs, including staff costs and pass-issuing costs. We do not hold information for these additional costs of administering the scheme.
	Further information, including forecasts of reimbursement for 2012/13, is published in the Bus08 series of tables at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/bus08-concessionary-travel
	The information for Worcestershire is subject to restrictions on the use of commercial data collected by the TCA from bus operators.
	The Department does not have information for Worcester as it is a lower tier local authority which is not a TCA.

Motor Vehicles: Testing

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether the recently negotiated Council of Ministers' position on the European Commission's proposals for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on periodic roadworthiness tests for motor vehicles and their trailers and repealing Directive 2009/40/EC would require the UK and other member states to introduce domestic legislation in order to remove the exemption of mobile cranes from undergoing roadworthiness testing.

Stephen Hammond: It is our view that if the recently negotiated Council of Ministers' position were reflected in a finally approved directive, the exemption of mobile cranes in domestic legislation from roadworthiness tests may need to be removed. However the directive has not yet been finalised. Negotiations continue with MEPs considering and amending the original proposal prior to it being put as a Bill before the European Parliament.

Motorways: Speed Limits

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential increase in the cost of car insurance if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential increase in damage to road surfaces and fixtures if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the potential increase in the number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic accidents if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph;
	(4)  whether he has made an estimate of the potential increase in costs to drivers of increased fuel usage arising from an increase in the motorway speed limit to 80 mph;
	(5)  what assessment he has made of the road infrastructure costs involved in raising the motorway speed limit to 80 mph;
	(6)  what assessment he has made of the potential increase in carbon emissions if the motorway speed limit were raised to 80 mph.

Stephen Hammond: We have been working to assess the potential economic, safety and environmental impacts of trialling 80 mph speed limits across a number of sites on the motorway network. That work is not yet complete and we would consult on the potential impacts before proceeding with trials.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many contracts issued as part of the high-level output specification project have used clauses contained within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date.

Simon Burns: No contracts have been let by the Department to which the provisions might apply since the provision came into force on 31 January 2013.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has embedded consideration of the Act's provisions in its procedures at the requirement conception stage, rather than focusing solely on the procurement process. This picks up the requirement of the Act to consider social impact at the pre-procurement stage. This is reflected in our models for option assessment, business case templates, management assurance and consultation guidance. The Act is also referenced in the Department's procurement guidance and assurance process. All of these provisions are applicable to, and were explained in a briefing open to, all procurement staff in the Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental bodies.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: Information on subscriptions to academic journals is held by title only. Therefore the requested information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Rail Franchise Advisory Panel

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the annual rate of pay will be for each member of the Rail Franchise Advisory Panel.

Simon Burns: The time commitment is expected to equate to a one-two days per month averaged over the year as part of the panel members’ appointment. The panel members were offered a day rate as part of their appointment and any costs to Government, up to approximately £10,000-£25,000 per member, from the panel will be published as part of the Department for Transport's annual accounts.

Railways: Franchises

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff from (a) his Department and (b) other Government Departments are involved in negotiations with the incumbent franchisee for an extended rail passenger service contract on the (i) Essex Thameside, (ii) Thameslink, (iii) Inter City West Coast, (iv) Great Western, (v) Greater Anglia, (vi) Northern, (vii) London Midland, (viii) East Midlands and (ix) South Eastern line.

Simon Burns: As of the end of March 2013, the number of Department of Transport staff directly involved in negotiations with the incumbent franchisees for the extended rail passenger service contracts were (i) six staff for c2c (Essex Thameside), (ii) nil for First Capital Connect (Thameslink), (iii) nil for Intercity West Coast, (iv) eight staff for First Great Western, (v) nil for Greater Anglia, (vi) nil for Northern, (vii) nil for London Midland, (viii) nil for East Midlands and (ix) nil for South Eastern. No staff from other Government Departments are directly involved in negotiations with the incumbent franchisee for the extended rail passenger service contracts.

Rescue Services

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contractual obligations will be placed on the holders of air sea rescue contracts to participate in military-led civil operations, exercises and preparation.

Stephen Hammond: The contractors providing UK search and rescue helicopters are obliged to work with Ministry of Defence aircraft for flying training exercises and emergency response.

Transport: Nottinghamshire

Mark Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of current transport infrastructure in former coalfield villages in Sherwood constituency;
	(2)  what the average investment in rail infrastructure has been in each parliamentary constituency since 2010;
	(3)  how much investment in rail infrastructure there has been in (a) Sherwood constituency and (b) Nottinghamshire since 2000.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has made no assessment of current transport infrastructure in the Sherwood constituency, as Nottinghamshire county council is responsible for assessing transport infrastructure within Nottinghamshire and this is set out in their Local Transport Plan for 2011-2026.
	HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis (PESA) tables provide a regional breakdown of total transport spend. This can be found at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2012
	The Department does not hold information on rail infrastructure spending at a parliamentary constituency level.

West Coast Railway Line

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a series of graphs showing percentage capacity usage for the West Coast Mainline on working days on the vertical axis and time of day on the horizontal axis for the (a) London to Milton Keynes, (b) London to Birmingham, (c) London to Manchester and (d) London to Lichfield Trent Valley stretches of the line in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Norman Baker: Track capacity is not a fixed figure as it is a variable based upon a range of factors including services, rolling stock and stopping patterns.
	The Department for Transport does not hold such information, which is an operational matter for Network Rail.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Sequestration

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what funding and support he plans to make available for the reserve projects in the Carbon Capture and Storage Commercialisation Competition.

Michael Fallon: On 20 March we announced the selection of preferred bidders in the CCS Competition—the Peterhead project and White Rose project. The remaining two bidders, Teesside Low Carbon and Captain Clean Energy, were appointed as reserve projects. These bids may be called to participate in the next stage of the competition if one or both of the preferred bidders fails to enter into a Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) contract.
	My officials are continuing to engage with all parties during this phase of the competition as well as exploring potential support for CCS projects under the Electricity Market Reform programme.

Civil Nuclear Constabulary: Firearms

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the status is of those civil nuclear police officers who are unable to carry firearms as a result of illness or injury.

Michael Fallon: Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC) authorised firearms officers (AFO) who are unable to carry firearms due to illness or injury retain their contractual AFO status. However, they are treated as non-deployable with immediate effect and, depending on the long-term prognosis, will either return to AFO duties or will be managed through the CNC's performance or capability processes.

Coal

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 14 March 2013, Official Report, column 454, on the deep-mine coal industry, what progress has been made in developing a short to medium-term coal strategy.

Michael Fallon: As my predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Holland and The Deepings (Mr Hayes), stated on 14 March 2013, we believe that the interests of the industry at this point are best served by concentrating our efforts on supporting coal producers to manage the very significant shorter-term challenges they currently face. Once the outcome of that priority work is clearer we can then assess how best to meet the industry's future interests in the context of our wider energy policy agenda.

Energy

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem regarding energy efficiency targets for energy companies.

Michael Fallon: The Department is in regular contact with Ofgem in relation to the energy efficiency schemes which the Government impose on energy companies. The administration and enforcement of these schemes is a matter for Ofgem.

Energy

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the statutory or other parliamentary authority is on which he will rely to incur expenditure or other financial liability pursuant to any investment contract he enters into, or strike price agreed, prior to the Energy Bill gaining Royal Assent.

Michael Fallon: Any investment contract that is entered into before Royal Assent of the Energy Bill will be conditional on the relevant provisions in the Energy Bill gaining Royal Assent.

Energy: Competition

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 14 March 2013, Official Report, column 465, on energy market competition, 
	(1)  when the actions of Ofgem and industry to improve liquidity in the wholesale power market will be assessed on their effectiveness;
	(2)  by what criteria his Department will judge whether the actions of Ofgem and industry to improve liquidity in the wholesale power market have been insufficient.

Michael Fallon: Poor liquidity in the wholesale market, in particular in the forward markets, is acting as a barrier to entry and greater competition. Ofgem is currently taking forward reforms to address this issue.
	We support Ofgem's objectives and are keen to see swift and appropriate action from the regulator. We are therefore encouraged by Ofgem's strong preference, in its latest consultation, for intervention, with a decision expected by summer 2013. We will assess the effectiveness of its reforms once we see the final proposed intervention options.
	Government are seeking backstop powers through the current Energy Bill to address low liquidity if necessary, but Ofgem remains the primary vehicle for delivering any necessary regulatory intervention. It is important that its reform process is allowed to come to a decision before considering whether the proposals are sufficient to improve liquidity.

Energy: Housing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many properties were connected to the gas distribution network in (a) 2009, (b) 2010, (c) 2011 and (d) 2012;
	(2)  how many households in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland are off the mains gas grid; and what percentage of off-grid households in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland are within 500 metres of the gas grid.

Michael Fallon: Annual statistics on the number of gas meters are available on the Department’s website for the years 2005 to 2011. Data for 2012 will be published in December 2013. It is estimated that 22.58 million households were connected to the gas distribution network in 2009; 22.72 million in 2010 and 22.84 million in 2011.
	For 2011, it is estimated that 4.46 million homes in Great Britain did not have access to the gas network; 3.33 million of these households were in England, 0.83 million in Scotland and 0.27 million in Wales. Data on gas connections in Northern Ireland, and data on the number of households within 500 metres of the gas grid, are not held by DECC.
	The off gas grid estimates have been produced based on information from the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters, which are used to produce the Department’s sub-national energy statistics for Great Britain. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of homes that do not have access to the gas network. It should be noted that these estimates will overestimate the number of homes due to some homes having more than one electricity meter, and also that the statistics may include non-domestic gas meters.
	Details of all methodologies used to compile the statistics can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/regional/regional.aspx
	Sub-national data showing the number of gas meters and consumption can be found at:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/energy_stats/regional/gas/gas.aspx

Energy: Housing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of network owners' commitment to connect an additional 80,000 homes in fuel poverty to the gas distribution network.

Gregory Barker: The Department supports this scheme, and the efforts of Ofgem and the gas network owners to extend the grid to vulnerable households for whom a gas connection could mean lower energy costs. However we believe the promotion and operation of this scheme is a matter for the energy regulator and the network owners.
	I am aware that Ofgem is planning a review of this scheme next year to assess whether it still serves as a suitable solution for vulnerable customers. We will be engaging with Ofgem and await the findings of this review.

Energy: Housing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department provides assistance to households within 500 metres of the gas grid to enable them to seek connection.

Michael Fallon: The Department does not currently provide any assistance to households within 500 metres of the gas grid to enable them to seek gas connection. Ofgem is responsible for regulating the extension of the gas grid, and individual connections are a matter for the local Gas Distribution Networks (GDNs).
	DECC is currently promoting alternative, low carbon, options for off-grid consumers through the Renewable Heat Premium Payment scheme (RHPP) which provides grants towards renewable heating systems, including ground and air source heat pumps, biomass boilers, and solar thermal heaters. These technologies have the ability to bring down fuel bills in comparison to heating oil and LPG which are most commonly used by off-grid consumers.
	DECC has extended the RHPP scheme to provide ongoing support for the domestic renewable heat market, ahead of the launch of the Domestic Renewable Heat Incentive in 2014.

Energy: Housing

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much the cost of heating an average home with (a) propane and home fuel oil and (b) gas has changed in each year since 2009.

Michael Fallon: DECC does not hold data on average consumption levels of households using propane and home fuel oil, and as such does not produce average costs for these. However, data from fuel components of the retail prices index shows that the prices of propane and home fuel oil and gas changed as follows between 2009 and 2012:
	
		
			  (a) Propane and home fuel oil (b) Gas 
			 2009 126.4 193.5 
			 2010 161.2 182.0 
			 2011 201.4 201.4 
			 2012 206.8 222.8 
		
	
	These data are shown in the form of an index, where costs in 2005 are set to 100, and subsequent years are shown relative to that year.

Energy: Job Creation

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the number of jobs created in (a) renewable energy, (b) nuclear power and (c) network providers in (i) the UK, (ii) England, (iii) Scotland, (iv) Wales and (v) Northern Ireland in (A) 2009, (B) 2010, (C) 2011 and (D) 2012.

Michael Fallon: In response to part (a), the Department does not currently collect this information in the format requested.
	Between 1 April 2011 and 31 July 2012, DECC has collated renewable announcements that have the potential to support around 22,800 jobs across the UK.
	We are currently revising our methodology for collecting data on jobs created in the renewable energy sector and intend to publish up to date jobs figures shortly.
	In response to part (b), the Department cannot provide a specific breakdown of the number of jobs created in nuclear power. However, the Nuclear Industry Association have produced Jobs Maps detailing the number of employees by parliamentary constituency in the UK Civil Nuclear Industry for the years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Note that for 2012 there are maps for the UK as a whole and one for Scotland. The documents containing this information will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
	In response to part (c), the Department does not collect this information, though the network providers in these countries may do so.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 238W, on energy, what estimate his Department has made of the average household saving as a result of his proposals to move people to the cheapest energy tariff that meets their preferences.

Gregory Barker: Under our proposals suppliers would move customers off poor value dead tariffs and on to the cheapest tariff that meets their preferences. In its retail market review, Ofgem has estimated that there are over 650 dead tariffs and we would expect more to be created as a result of the introduction of a tariff cap. Whether or not these are of poor value so that a customer is moved to a cheaper tariff and the level savings made from this will depend on the tariffs a supplier is offering at that point. This will be a commercial decision for each supplier.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 25 February 2013, Official Report, column 238W, on energy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of households that will be moved to a cheaper energy tariff as a result of the proposals contained in the Energy Bill.

Gregory Barker: Under our proposals suppliers would have to move customers off poor value dead tariffs. In their retail market review, Ofgem have estimated that there are over 650 dead tariffs and we would expect more to be created as a result of the introduction of a tariff cap. Whether or not these are of poor value so that a customer is moved to a cheaper tariff will depend on the tariffs a supplier is offering at that point. This will be a commercial decision for each supplier.

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 14 March 2013, Official Report, column 458, on energy bills, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of decarbonising the power sector by 2030 on consumer energy bills.

Gregory Barker: The Government have recently published their assessment of the impacts of energy and climate change policies on consumer energy bills(1). This shows that taken together, these policies mean that household energy bills will be on average 11%, or £166, lower in 2020 than if the policies had not been introduced. On average, energy efficiency savings from policies are expected to more than offset the necessary costs of supporting low carbon investment.
	Taking account of the impact of low carbon generating plant on the wholesale electricity price (‘merit order impacts’), policies to support decarbonisation of electricity supply (Electricity Market Reform, EU ETS, the Carbon Price Floor and Renewables Obligation) currently add around 4% to household energy bills (including VAT). By 2020 it is estimated that these policies will add an average of around 10% to household bills (including VAT). These impacts are consistent with a scenario where the carbon intensity of grid electricity supply is reduced to 100gCO2 per kWh by 2030.
	Decarbonising the power sector will help reduce the UK's exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices and over the long term consumers stand to benefit from cleaner, cheaper and more reliable sources of low carbon energy:
	(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/172923/130326_-_Price_and_Bill_Impacts_Report_Final.pdf

Energy: Prices

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 27 February 2013, Official Report , column 494W, on energy: billing, what methodology his Department plans to use to establish what the cheapest tariff that meets consumers' preference is.

Gregory Barker: The powers in the Energy Bill relating to tariffs are designed to be backstop powers to ensure that Government can take action to implement my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's commitment to ensure consumers are on the cheapest tariff for them, should Ofgem's Retail Market Reform proposals not deliver or be frustrated or delayed.
	Ofgem has set out a methodology for assessing a supplier's cheapest tariff in its retail market review final domestic proposals which can be found at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/The%20Retail%20Market%20Review%20-%20Final%20domestic%20proposals.pdf

EU Energy Policy

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how he proposes to comply with the standstill obligation in EU state aid law if he enters into an investment contract or sets a strike price before the European Commission has decided whether to approve such measures.

Michael Fallon: Any investment contract, if offered, will contain a condition dependent on a state aid decision from the European Commission.

Green Deal Scheme

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) assessments have been undertaken, (b) households have signed up to an installation and (c) households have received an installation under the Green Deal to date.

Gregory Barker: holding answer 14 May 2013
	Up to the end of April 2013, there had been 18,816 Green Deal assessments in Great Britain lodged, as reported in the following statistics release:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-may-2013
	The next monthly statistical release is planned for publication on 27 June 2013 and will contain, for the first time, information on Green Deal Plans taken out and measures installed through the Green Deal and Energy Company Obligation.

Heating

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he expects to publish results of the latest field trials of heat pumps commissioned by his Department.

Gregory Barker: The analysis of data from the second phase of the Energy Saving Trust field trial will be published by DECC this summer.

Hinkley Point C Power Station

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will make a statement on the current position of negotiations with EDF for a contract for electricity from Hinkley Point C.

Michael Fallon: It would not be appropriate to make a statement at this stage of the commercial negotiations. Should any agreement be reached in relation to an investment contract for Hinkley Point C, I will make a statement as required by the Energy Bill at the time I lay the contract before Parliament. In addition, in the case of Hinkley Point C, the Government have committed to provide summaries of reports from external advisers and analysis on the value for money of any contract agreed.

Natural Gas: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many and what proportion of homes in Bassetlaw do not have access to the gas network.

Michael Fallon: The exact number of homes that do not have access to the gas network is not held centrally.
	Estimates have been produced based on information from the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters, which are used to produce the Departments sub-national energy statistics. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of homes that do not have access to the gas network. It should be noted that these estimates will overestimate the number of homes due to some homes having more than one electricity meter, and also that the statistics may include non-domestic gas meters.
	It is estimated that, for 2011, 10,300 homes in the Bassetlaw local authority did not have access to the gas network; this represents 20.5% of homes in the area.

Natural Gas: Imports

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will introduce measures to reduce the UK's dependence on imported gas.

Michael Fallon: The Government already work to maximise economic UK gas production (including potentially from unconventional sources) and restrain gas demand (e.g. through promoting renewable heat and encouraging energy efficiency). Nevertheless UK gas import dependency is expected to continue rising given declines in North sea production. We therefore also have a range of mechanisms in place to promote the security and affordability of gas imports, including extensive import infrastructure, liberalisation of EU and international gas markets, and strong bilateral relations with key gas suppliers.

Natural Gas: North East

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the number of off-gas grid households in (a) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency, (b) the Tees Valley and (c) the North East of England.

Michael Fallon: The exact number of homes that do not have access to the gas network is not held centrally.
	Estimates have been produced based on information from the Gemserv database on the location of electricity meters, and data from xoserve and independent gas transporters on the location of gas meters, which are used to produce the Department’s sub-national energy statistics. Subtracting the number of gas meters from the number of electricity meters produces a broad estimate of the number of homes that do not have access to the gas network. It should be noted that these estimates will overestimate the number of homes due to some homes having more than one electricity meter, and also that the statistics may include some non-domestic meters.
	It is estimated that for 2011, 7,500 homes in the Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituencies (a combination of the Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland local authorities) were off the gas grid. Likewise, 17,800 homes in the Tees Valley (a combination of Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees local authorities) and 112,200 homes in the North East of England did not have access to the gas network.

Nuclear Power Stations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the forecast out of service date is for each nuclear power station; and what the power output is for each such power station.

Michael Fallon: The scheduled closure dates for each nuclear power station and the net generation capacity for each such power station are detailed in the table below. The Government do not publish data on output at individual plant level.
	
		
			 Table of past and present UK nuclear reactors 
			  Net capacity (MW) Number of operating reactors Published lifetime 
			 Magnox (NDA)    
			 Wylfa 490 1 1971 to 2014 
			     
			 AdvancedGasCooled Reactor (AGR) -British Energy    
			 Heysham 1 1,155 2 1989 to 2019 
			 Hinkley Point B 810 2 1976 to 2023 
		
	
	
		
			 Hunterson B 890 2 1976 to 2023 
			 Dungeness B 1,040 2 1985 to 2018 
			 Hartlepool 1,180 2 1989 to 2019 
			 Heysham 2 1,220 2 1989 to 2023 
			 Torness 1,185 2 1988 to 2023 
			     
			 Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) - British Energy    
			 Sizewell B 1,198 1 1995 to 2035 
			     
			 Total net capacity and number of operatingreactors 9,168 16

Nuclear Power Stations: Construction

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what evaluation and due diligence has been carried out by his Department of the ability of Electricité de France to capitalise the construction of any new nuclear power plant in the UK.

Michael Fallon: The offer of any investment contract in support of a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point C will require EDF to put in place a robust and appropriate financing plan for the construction of the station.

Ofgem

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  how many enforcement cases currently being undertaken by Ofgem are at informal review stage;
	(2)  how many staff of Ofgem received bonuses in excess of (a) £1,420, (b) £2,000, (c) £5,000, (d) £10,000, (e) £20,000 and (f) £50,000 in 2012-13;
	(3)  what the (a) average and (b) total amount paid in bonuses to staff at Ofgem was in 2012-13;
	(4)  how many staff employed at Ofgem received bonuses in 2012-13.

Michael Fallon: The information requested is a matter for Ofgem. I have asked the Chief Executive of Ofgem to write to the right hon. Member and we will place a copy of his letter in the Libraries of the House.

Power Stations

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what the forecast out of service date is for each gas power station; and what the power output is for each such power station;
	(2)  what the forecast out of service date is for each oil-fired power station; and what the power output is for each such power station;
	(3)  what the forecast out of service date is for each coal-fired power station; and what the power output is for each such power station.

Michael Fallon: DECC publishes information about the capacity of individual power stations annually in its Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics (DUKES), Chapter 5: Electricity.
	The 2012 version of the report can be found online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-energy-climate-change/series/digest-of-uk-energy-statistics-dukes
	Decisions over when individual plants close are a commercial matter for individual operators.

Renewable Energy

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has made an assessment of whether independent generators, including co-operatives, will be at a market disadvantage under the electricity market reform proposals.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to supporting investment by independent generators, including co-operatives. Independent developers have played an important role in delivering new capacity, and we expect them to continue to make a material contribution to delivering investment and meeting our objectives of keeping energy prices affordable and supplies secure as we decarbonise. Accordingly, the Government are working to ensure that the electricity market reform proposals support independent generation.
	The contracts for difference proposed in the Energy Bill will remove wholesale price risk and consequently improve conditions in the market for long-term power purchase agreements needed by many independent low carbon developers to secure project finance.
	Further, we are taking powers in the Energy Bill to give Government the flexibility to support the availability of viable power purchase agreements for independent generators, should the market not develop as expected.

Wind Power

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the likely price per megawatt-hour of electricity generated by offshore wind in each year between 2014 and 2030.

Michael Fallon: DECC has published levelised costs estimates of various generation technologies including offshore wind on the DECC website for selected years. A summary report of the levelised cost data was published in November 2012 and is available on the DECC website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/65713/6883-electricity-generation-costs.pdf
	Please note that published estimates for offshore wind are based on scenarios of technical potential for deployment of offshore wind. If these levels of deployment do not materialise cost reductions may be less pronounced; similarly, innovation changes may accelerate cost reductions.

Wind Power

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the likely price per megawatt-hour of electricity generated by offshore wind in each year from 2014 to 2030 if a decarbonisation target for electricity generation in 2030 of between 40 and 60 grams per kilowatt-hour is set in 2014.

Michael Fallon: DECC has published levelised costs estimates of various generation technologies including offshore wind on the DECC website for selected years. A summary report of the levelised cost data was published in November 2012 and is available on the DECC website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/65713/6883-electricity-generation-costs.pdf
	Please note that published estimates for offshore wind are based on scenarios of technical potential for deployment of offshore wind. If these levels of deployment do not materialise cost reductions may be less pronounced; similarly, innovation changes may accelerate cost reductions. DECC does not publish estimates associated with a specific decarbonisation target.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the speech by the Prime Minister of 25 October 2010, on what projects the funds to support the establishment of offshore wind manufacturing at port sites in assisted areas of England have been used; and how much funding has been allocated to each such project.

Michael Fallon: Bids for support under this scheme are made on a confidential basis. Under the Grant for Business Investment scheme, information on grant offers for sums greater than £75,000 is normally published following the payment of the first instalment of the grant, including the name and location of the recipient of the grant and the size of the grant offered.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Arctic

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what timetable he has set for the development of his Department's policy framework for the Arctic.

Mark Simmonds: The Government have committed to publishing the policy framework for the Arctic in the summer of 2013.

Bahrain

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations (a) he and (b) the UK embassy in Bahrain has received in response to the publication of articles from Bahraini journalists and commentators on that embassy's blog marking World Press Freedom Day.

Alistair Burt: We have received representations from two non-governmental organisations (NGOs). We explained that the views expressed in the guest blogs for World Press Freedom Day that were published on the British embassy in Bahrain's webpage do not reflect those of the UK Government. All views expressed are solely those of the authors.
	Our most recent human rights report made clear that we have some serious concerns about human rights in Bahrain—including freedom of expression—and our ambassador and Ministers raise these concerns regularly both in private and public.

Bahrain

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which Bahraini journalists and commentators were invited by the UK embassy in Bahrain to write an article for that embassy's blog on freedom of expression in Bahrain on World Press Freedom Day; what criteria were used to decide which journalists and commentators were invited to do so; and what efforts were made to ensure balance in the selection of articles to be published.

Alistair Burt: To mark World Press Freedom Day, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) asked journalists and bloggers to write guest blogs and articles in order to highlight freedom of expression across the world through personal testimonies. We had over 20 contributions from our embassies—including blogs, videos, and articles.
	All views expressed in guest blogs for World Press Freedom Day are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Government policy.
	The embassy in Bahrain asked a range of journalists and commentators to contribute in order to ensure balance. Not all those invited responded, and the embassy published all of the articles it received. We made it clear that the views expressed on the guest blogs that appeared on the embassy's pages are not those of the Government.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings officials of his Department have had with officials of the US Administration on the subject of renewing the lease on Diego Garcia; and on what dates.

Mark Simmonds: The 1966 exchange of notes with the US provides that the islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), including Diego Garcia, shall be available to them until 30 December 2016 and continuing thereafter for a further period of 20 years unless terminated by either Government in the period 2014-16. There is no lease.
	There have been no substantive discussions to date with the US on the future of their presence in BIOT post-2016, but we look forward to discussing this with them in due course.

British Indian Ocean Territory

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to conclude negotiations with the US Administration on extending the lease on Diego Garcia.

Mark Simmonds: The 1966 exchange of notes with the US provides that the islands of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), including Diego Garcia, shall be available to them until 30 December 2016 and continuing thereafter for a further period of 20 years unless terminated by either Government in the period 2014-16. There is no lease.
	There have been no substantive discussions to date with the US on the future of their presence in BIOT post-2016. We look forward to discussing this with them in due course, but cannot speculate on when those discussions are likely to conclude.

British Overseas Territories

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what fishing and marine protection patrols have been undertaken in (a) Tristan da Cunha, (b) Bermuda and (c) Pitcairn Island in the last 12 months.

Mark Simmonds: There have been no dedicated fishing and marine protection patrols in Tristan da Cunha or the Pitcairn Islands in the last 12 months.
	In Bermuda, fishing and marine protection patrols are undertaken, either on land or at sea daily, weather and equipment permitting. Areas patrolled are largely the Bermuda Platform and Offshore Banks. Four (4) vessels are available for patrols.
	Territory Governments are responsible for the protection and conservation of their natural environments and not all information related to vessel inspections is held centrally in the UK.

Burma

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to urge the Government of Burma to address rising religious intolerance in that country.

Hugo Swire: We are extremely concerned about the recent violence directed at Muslim communities that has affected parts of Burma, and about reports showing a rise in anti-Muslim and anti-Christian propaganda in the country. We are actively monitoring these issues. On 21 March, the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), issued a statement on behalf of the British Government, condemning the violence in Meiktila and urging the Burmese Government to take all necessary action to protect civilians and to work with communities to tackle the underlying hostility.
	We note the speech by President Thein Sein on 7 May, in which he stressed the importance to Burma's future of diversity and tolerance. The British Government currently fund organisations that deliver interfaith dialogue projects. We have also lobbied the Burmese Government to ask them to issue an invitation to the UN Special Rapporteur to visit the country.

Burma

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Burma regarding anti-Muslim violence.

Hugo Swire: The Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi, on 15 April, and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), on 16 April, raised the issue of anti-Muslim violence with a delegation of senior Burmese Ministers on their visit to London, calling for accountability of those responsible and for action to bring communities together.
	British officials have continued to raise the issue of anti-Muslim violence with the Burmese Government, since the inter-communal unrest in Rakhine State in 2012 and the incidents in Meiktila from 20-25 March. Her Majesty's Ambassador to Burma discussed these issues with senior advisors to the Burmese President on 1 May, in the aftermath of the most recent violence against Muslim communities, in Oak Kan. The Ambassador used this occasion to call on the Burmese Government to do all they could to prevent further attacks.

Burma

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to urge the Government of Burma to address the culture of impunity in that country.

Hugo Swire: We regularly raise specific allegations of human rights abuses with the Burmese Government at the most senior levels. We are clear that all those who are guilty of instigating, inciting or carrying out violence in Burma need to be held accountable for their crimes. This should be done through a clear and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process.
	During a meeting on 15 April, the Senior Minister of State, my noble Friend the right hon. Baroness Warsi pressed Aung Min, Minister for Burmese President's Office, to follow up on the commitment made by President Thein Sein to open an office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), reiterated this point during his meeting with Aung Min on 16 April. We continue to make clear that an OHCHR office in Burma would be beneficial in assisting the Burmese Government to address some of the serious human rights concerns outlined by the international community.

Egypt

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Egyptian authorities regarding the alleged kidnapping of refugees from East Sudan who are being held captive in the Sinai peninsula in Egypt.

Alistair Burt: The Government remain concerned about reports of people-trafficking in the Sinai. We have raised these concerns with the Egyptian and Israeli authorities, most recently with the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in March 2013. We have also raised the treatment of refugees in Sinai with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Cairo, which, at the request of the Egyptian authorities, deals with asylum seekers in Egypt.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London Borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not allocated any funding to the London borough of Enfield local authority in any of the last five years.
	The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), is responsible for the following non-departmental public bodies: Wilton Park; the British Council; the BBC World Service; the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission; the Great Britain-China Centre; and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy. Of these, only the British Council has provided funding to the London borough of Enfield local authority. The British Council has funded a wide range of activity in the London borough of Enfield. Funding, however, is allocated to individual institutions, as opposed to local authority area. As a result, details of the total funding allocated within the borough could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Entry Clearances: Charities

Michael Crockart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on providing gratis visas to charities in each of the last five years.

Hugo Swire: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Geneva Conventions

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to push for the updating of the definition of combatants and non-combatants in the Geneva Conventions.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government are committed to upholding the Geneva conventions and encouraging others to do the same. We are not pushing for the conventions to be updated. We judge that the current priority is to improve implementation of existing international humanitarian law including the Geneva conventions, rather than the creation of new law.

Inflation

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the purposes for which his Department uses (a) the retail prices index measure of inflation, (b) the consumer prices index measure of inflation and (c) any alternative measure of inflation.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) uses measures of inflation internally for analytical and management information purposes, but no area of expenditure is currently directly linked to inflation rates. The UK retail and consumer prices indices are not significant drivers for FCO policy or spending.
	Some alternative measures of inflation are used by the FCO: price surveys conducted overseas are factored into the calculation of the cost of living allowance (COLA) paid to compensate UK-based staff overseas; our Posts abroad will consider local inflation when setting pay levels for locally-engaged staff; and data from the International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook are used to monitor the difference between UK and overseas price levels to inform the FCO's overseas spending.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act.

David Lidington: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) uses an impact analysis tool to identify the potential of each of our high priority spend categories to improve the social, economic or environmental well being of the UK geographical areas where spend is incurred. The FCO has provided the FCO executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies with Cabinet Office Guidance on the Act.

Saudi Arabia

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart regarding the rights of women in that country.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), discussed women's rights with the Foreign Minister, HRH Prince Saud al-Faisal, when he visited Saudi Arabia in July 2011—including education and employment opportunities, and allowing women to drive vehicles. The last discussion he had with Prince Saud on women's rights was on 5 November 2012, when they discussed plans for the Prime Minister to visit Dar Al Hekma College in Jeddah the following day. During this visit, the Prime Minister met female students and heard their assessment of women's rights in Saudi Arabia directly. On 5 March the Foreign Secretary discussed women's rights with the Speaker of Saudi Arabia's Shura Council, and a delegation of representatives which included two of the newly appointed female members.

Serbia: Kosovo

Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recent negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo.

David Lidington: As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), said on 19 April, we welcome the agreement that Serbia and Kosovo have reached in the EU-facilitated dialogue.
	I congratulate the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the right hon. the Baroness Ashton of Upholland, on her part in achieving this significant step, and Prime Ministers Dacic and Thaci for showing the courage necessary to reach this agreement. The agreement lays a solid basis for further improvement in the relationship between Serbia and Kosovo and is a valuable contribution to the stability and security of the Western Balkans.
	I urge both Serbia and Kosovo to implement this agreement rapidly, to remain constructively engaged in dialogue, and to take the further actions needed to continue their progress towards future membership of the EU, and a stable and prosperous future for their citizens.

Syria

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Turkish authorities regarding allegations that Syrian refugees were forcibly returned to Syria from the Akcakale refugee camp.

David Lidington: The British Government continue to monitor closely the refugee situation in Turkey and have regular discussions with Turkish counterparts. We have not had any specific discussions about the alleged return of refugees from the Akcakale camp.
	In order to support Turkey in the refugee response, the UK has provided over £6 million in humanitarian aid for the refugee response in Turkey, including £1 million to the Turkish Red Crescent. We welcome Turkey's generous provision of refuge for hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have fled the violence and its efforts to minimise the impact of the conflict on regional stability.

Syria

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with international aid organisations in Syria and the surrounding countries on reports of the selling of young women refugees.

Justine Greening: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for International Development.
	Women and children are among those particularly at risk in situations of armed conflict, and Syria is no exception. UK humanitarian funding is targeting some of the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis. For example, 1,800 particularly vulnerable Syrian women, perceived to be at risk of coerced marriage, will receive financial support to help mitigate the potential risk of this exploitation.
	The UK maintains a close ongoing working relationship with our humanitarian partners to ensure we are aware of developments in the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region, and are able to respond appropriately.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Dogs

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to assess the rehabilitation and aftercare of dogs used in racing where owners no longer intend to keep such animals; and if he will make a statement.

David Heath: The sport's regulatory authority, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), helps fund the Retired Greyhound Trust which rehomes many retired racing greyhounds. In addition, a significant proportion of ex-racing greyhounds find homes with their owners and trainers or through other welfare charities and others will return to Ireland. It is the responsibility of any racing greyhound owner to ensure the welfare of their dog. Anyone failing to provide for the welfare of their dog faces prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Richard Benyon: Core DEFRA has no contracts with G4S and has not made any payments to G4S since 2008.

Horses: Databases

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what expenditure his Department incurred on the cancelled tendering process to replace the National Equine Database.

David Heath: No additional cost was incurred in running the tendering process to replace the National Equine Database. The procurement exercise was managed by existing staff resource.

Livestock: Exports

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 in order to give higher regard to the welfare of animals.

David Heath: No. The Harbours, Docks and Piers Clauses Act 1847 aims to ensure that ports are available to all without discrimination. It would not be an appropriate legal instrument for use by port authorities to introduce an effective barrier to trade. In any case, banning the export of live animals would be illegal and undermine the principle of free movement of goods enshrined in the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

Livestock: Waste Disposal

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  when he proposes that farmers will be able to access funding from the Fallen Stock scheme;
	(2)  who will administer the Fallen Stock scheme.

David Heath: The Scheme for providing support to farmers for the costs of disposal of sheep, which died in the recent severe weather, will be administered by the National Fallen Stock Company. The Scheme will be administered at no cost to the taxpayer or farmer and will be open to both members and non-members of the National Fallen Stock Company's regular Scheme. An announcement is being made on how to claim support and it is expected that payments to eligible farmers will be made in July.

Pesticides

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on establishing a regional pilot scheme ban within the UK on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.

David Heath: Measures recently proposed by the European Commission to restrict authorisations of three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) will come into force later this year. The Government will implement those measures on the date required. The Government have no plans, either nationally or on a regional or pilot basis, to impose additional restrictions or to introduce the restrictions at an earlier date.

Recycling: St Albans

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the risk of contamination of water sources in the vicinity of the Appspond Lane Recycling Centre following a recent fire on that site.

Richard Benyon: In response to the fire, the Environment Agency carried out an assessment to identify possible polluting matter present and examined the potential for it to have an adverse impact elsewhere.
	The Environment Agency sampled nearby groundwater bodies in areas potentially at risk. The nearest public water supply to Appspond Lane is approximately five km from the site.
	Based on its sample results, the Environment Agency has not expressed any current concerns. During the incident it liaised with the local water supplier, Affinity Water. It provided the local authority, St Albans city and district council, with the sampling data.

Recycling: St Albans

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of air quality near the Appspond Lane Recycling Centre after the recent fire on that site.

Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency liaised with Public Health England (formerly the Health Protection Agency) and the assessment was that there was no significant risk to human health.
	Any inquiries about the impact of smoke on public health were referred to the local authority and Public Health England for advice.

EDUCATION

Academies

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what deductions are applied to grant-in-aid to (a) free schools and (b) academies to take account of the number of fee-paying pupils entering the school in any given year.

David Laws: Free schools and academies are not allowed to charge fees. There are, therefore, no fee-paying pupils attending free schools or academies and no adjustments to funding are required.

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies other than buildings used primarily for the provision of education, in each of the last three financial years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies leased the following properties in central London during the financial years 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13.
	
		
			  Total running costs (£)  
			 Central London properties 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 Lease end 
			 Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith Street, SWIP 3BT (DFE) 15,808,941.00 15,351,301.00 18,027,219.00 28 September 2017 
			 Greycoat Street, SW1P 2QB (DFE) 1,180,799.00 1,136,653.00 947,782.00 16 October 2014 
			 1st Floor, 59-65 Wells Street, W1A 3AE (CAFCASS) 58,760.00 109,090.00 111,519.00 23 March 2015 
			 Principal Registry Family Division, 42-49 High Holborn, WC1V 6NP (CAFCASS) 237,012.00 237,012.00 237,012.00 31 March 2014 
		
	
	
		
			 83 Piccadilly, W1J 8JB (QCDA/DFE) 8,543,000.00 4,502,970.00 3,415,642.00 9 November 2012 
			 Union Street, Southwark, SE1 0NW (Ofsted) 200,011.00 199,294.00 199,294.00 24 March 2016 
			 Aviation House, Holborn, WC2B 6NH (Ofsted) 3,103,654.00 2,898,603.00 2,378,791.00 16 February 2018 
		
	
	The increase in the Sanctuary Buildings cost during the financial year 2012-13 is due to the landlord electing to charge VAT on the rent and an increase in non-domestic rates. 83 Piccadilly has now been vacated.
	Since May 2010 the Department for Education has reduced the size of its operational estate across the country from 30 properties, at a cost of circa £51 million per annum, to 12 properties, costing circa £34 million per annum. This is a saving of circa £17 million per annum. The Department’s current Estates Strategy is to consolidate further and reduce the size of its estate to six properties. This includes reducing our central London presence from two properties to one. The office at Greycoat street will close at lease expiry in 2014 and the staff based there will relocate to Sanctuary Buildings, generating annual savings of circa £900,000.
	We plan to vacate Sanctuary Buildings when the lease expires in 2017 and we are working with the Government Property Unit (GPU) to secure an alternative accommodation solution that aligns to the GPU’s Property Strategy for Central London, representing best value for the taxpayer.
	It should also be noted that Ofsted’s running costs at Aviation house will reduce by a further £535,000 per annum from April 2014 and in total its operational costs in London will have reduced by circa £1.26 million per annum over the four year period from 2010-11 to 2013-14.

Children in Care

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he expects to publish the next stage of the Children's Home Reform Programme.

Edward Timpson: On 23 April I set out my plans to reform children's residential care, in response to the report of the Task and Finish Group and Expert Group on Quality of Children's Homes. On 14 May my Department held a seminar with children's homes providers, local authority representatives and voluntary organisations to discuss our detailed delivery plan to reform the quality of children's homes provision and care. We will be formally consulting on proposed changes to regulations in June.

Children's Centres

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children’s centres provided on-site full day care on (a) 6 May 2010 and (b) 6 May 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education collects information on the provision of child care through the annual Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey. This allows an estimate to be made of the number of Sure Start children’s centres providing full day care provision on site. Estimates from the survey show that in 2010 the number of children’s centres providing on-site full day care was 800. In 2011 this figure had fallen to 550.
	However, the 2011 survey indicates that demand for child care provision specifically based in children’s centres may have been affected by increases in the broader supply of full day provision. The survey estimates that between 2010 and 2011 the number of full day care providers increased from 16,700 to 17,600.
	These are the latest figures available to the Department. The survey is now undertaken every other year and the 2013 survey is due to be published in September 2014.

Children's Centres

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children’s centres employed qualified teachers as of (a) 6 May 2010 and (b) 6 May 2013.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department collects information on the provision of child care through the annual Childcare and Early Years Provider Survey. This survey does not report the number of children’s centres employing qualified teachers. It does provide estimates of the proportion of staff who are qualified teachers in children’s centres which provide full day care. The estimates as a percentage by year are 7% in 2009, 6% in 2010, and 8% in 2011.
	These are the latest figures available to the Department. The survey is now undertaken every other year and the 2013 survey is due to be published in September 2014.

Class Sizes: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average class size was in (a) secondary and (b) primary schools in Bassetlaw constituency in each of the last three years.

David Laws: Data on class sizes in state-funded primary and secondary schools in England are published as part of the annual Statistical First Release “Schools, Pupils and their Characteristics”. The latest data are for January 2012 and are available on the Department's website
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2012
	The average size of one teacher classes in state-funded secondary schools in Bassetlaw constituency was: (i) 20.4 pupils in 2010, (ii) 18.4 pupils in 2011, and (iii) 20.0 pupils in 2012.
	The average size of one teacher classes in state-funded primary schools in Bassetlaw constituency was: (i) 24.9 pupils in 2010, (ii) 24.5 pupils in 2011, and (iii) 25.2 pupils in 2012.

Climate Change: Curriculum

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make an assessment of the potential damage to (a) pupils' education and (b) efforts to combat climate change that might be caused by the proposed removal of climate change from the national curriculum guidelines for key stages one to three.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government's intention is not to remove climate change from the national curriculum, but rather to bolster pupils' understanding of this important issue. The new national curriculum will ensure that pupils develop an understanding of the key concepts that underpin the study of climate change in both science and geography.
	In geography, pupils will develop an evidence-based understanding of weather and climate patterns and processes in key stages 2 and 3. In science primary school pupils will be taught the key concepts that underpin meteorology and climate change science, before going on to study climate change at key stage 3; in particular, the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and its effect on climate.
	The new national curriculum will provide a solid foundation for pupils to engage with climate change issues in a deep and meaningful way in school, and should they so choose, through further study of this important issue at GCSE and beyond.

Curriculum

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education when he plans to publish draft programmes of study for key stage 4.

Elizabeth Truss: Draft programmes of study for citizenship, computing and physical education at key stage 4 were published for consultation on 7 February 2013. At the same time draft programmes of study for English, mathematics and science at key stage 4 were also published for information. We plan to undertake formal consultation on draft programmes of study for these subjects in the autumn and finalise them next year. Schools will start teaching the new programmes of study from September 2015.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London Borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

David Laws: The following table provides the total funding that has been allocated by the Department in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2008-09 252.9 
			 2009-10 261.9 
			 2010-11 268.5 
			 2011-12 264.1 
			 2012-13 317.7 
		
	
	The figures for 2012-13 include grants allocated by the Education Funding Agency. The information for each of the non-departmental public bodies is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Free School Meals: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that children living in poverty in (a) the UK and (b) Bassetlaw constituency receive free school meals.

David Laws: The Government recognise the benefits of healthy school meals and are committed to continuing to provide free school meals to those pupils who need them most. Our priority is to make sure that the most disadvantaged children are able to get a nutritious free school meal.
	We are working to encourage all families who meet the criteria to register for free school meals. We want disadvantaged children to benefit from a nutritious meal, and their schools to be able to receive pupil premium funding to help raise disadvantaged pupils' attainment.
	Free school meals are not compulsory and there are many reasons why a family may choose not to claim a free school meal to which they are entitled. The fear of being stigmatised can prevent many children from taking a free school meal, but we have made progress in addressing this. For example, many schools now have cashless systems and other methods to ensure that it is not obvious which pupils are receiving a free school lunch. The Department for Education's eligibility checking service, used by local authorities, has also made it much easier and quicker to check anonymously which families are entitled to free school meals. Free school meal take-up in England increased by 60,000 between 2010 and 2012.

Freedom of Information

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of Freedom of Information requests submitted to his Department since May 2010 remained unanswered after (a) 20, (b) 40 and (c) 60 working days of their receipt.

Elizabeth Truss: The Ministry of Justice collates and publishes figures on Freedom of Information (FOI) performance across central Government Departments on a quarterly basis, most recently up to December 2012(1). The Department for Education's performance on FOI requests since December 2012 will be included in future quarterly reports.
	(1)( )https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/series/government-foi-statistics

Freedom of Information

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Information Commissioner on his Department's compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Elizabeth Truss: The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has had no recent discussions with the Information Commissioner on his Department's compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department's procurement records indicate that we have not contracted with G4S in the last 10 years. Additional searches for companies linked to G4S, specifically Group 4 and Securicor, also indicate there were no contracts with these company names.

GCSE

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will issue guidance on the assessment of GCSE practical work and fieldwork in subjects including science and geography; and if he will make a statement.

Elizabeth Truss: Currently, science practical work and geography fieldwork are assessed by controlled assessment, a form of internal assessment. The Government's response to their public consultation on reforming key stage 4 qualifications set out that internal assessment should be kept to a minimum in new GCSEs and used only where there is a compelling case to do so. The response accepted that some aspects of assessment lend themselves less easily to externally marked examinations.
	The Government will publish draft subject content requirements for consultation shortly, alongside Ofqual's consultation on regulatory requirements for new GCSEs. Together, those requirements will set the framework for the development of the new GCSEs, including the assessment of practical work and fieldwork.

Heart Diseases: First Aid

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make the teaching of cardio- pulmonary resuscitation skills a mandatory part of the national curriculum.

Elizabeth Truss: Our proposals for the new national curriculum were published for consultation on 7 February, and the consultation closed on 16 April. The proposals are based on the principle that the national curriculum should set out a body of essential knowledge that children should be expected to acquire in key subjects during the course of their school career.
	We are reviewing the consultation responses, including those from organisations and individuals supporting the inclusion of emergency life-saving skills, and will publish a final version of the new national curriculum later in the year.

Overseas Students: Bahamas

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what programmes there are to encourage school students from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to study in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

Matthew Hancock: This is a matter for individual schools. Through its Education UK website, the British Council provides information about boarding school opportunities for those interested in studying in the UK.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education subscribes to a variety of journals from a range of academic publishers. With one or two exceptions, all our journal subscriptions are for academic journals. Departmental subscriptions are to journal titles, rather than to individual publishers, and as titles frequently change publisher it is difficult to provide the information in the format requested. Also, purchasing has been devolved to business and policy teams throughout the Department and there are a range of purchasing routes. The disproportionate cost threshold would be exceeded if all business and policy teams in the Department were contacted to retrieve and identify all academic journal subscriptions by publisher.
	However, from information held centrally for journals subscribed to from the subscriptions agent and aggregator, the total cost of journal subscriptions for each of the last five financial years was:
	
		
			 Financial year Costs of subscription (£) 
			 2012-13 21,664.77 
			 2011-12 17,294.01 
			 2010-11 50,128.00 
			 2009-10 41,849.33 
			 2008-09 52,000.00

Vocational Training

Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what budget his Department has allocated to the traineeships programme; and what information his Department holds on funding for that programme from other sources.

Matthew Hancock: The Framework for Delivery(1), which we published on 9 May 2013, confirmed that traineeships for 16-19 year olds will be part of 16-19 study programmes and will be funded on the same basis. Traineeships will be funded through the Education Funding Agency or, in the case of 16-19 apprenticeship providers, through the Skills Funding Agency.
	Traineeships will be a demand-led programme. The number of places funded will reflect the number of employers and education and training providers who choose to offer a place and the number of eligible young people who wish to take one.
	(1)www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-young-people-to-develop-the-skills-for-apprenticeships-and-sustainable-employment-framework-for-delivery

Vocational Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to paragraph 11 of Traineeships: Supporting young people to develop the skills for apprenticeships and sustainable employment: Framework for Delivery published on 9 May 2013, how many existing training programmes the Government estimate will (a) cease or (b) be subsumed into the new traineeship scheme; and which programmes are under consideration.

Matthew Hancock: Our intention is for traineeships to simplify the current policy landscape and make it easier for young people and employers to navigate. As traineeships develop we will look to subsume or cease similar existing training programmes in order to simplify the system. Decisions on whether to cease or subsume existing programmes will be taken in due course.

Vocational Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to part D of Traineeships: Framework for Delivery, published 9 May 2013, what the annual cost of the traineeships programme will be in each of the next three financial years; whether additional funding will be made available to fund the new traineeships programme; how much funding from existing programmes will be diverted to fund new traineeships programme; and how any such funding will be divided between employers and training providers.

Matthew Hancock: Traineeships will be a demand-led programme. The number of places funded will reflect the number of eligible employers and education and training providers who choose to offer places and the number of eligible young people who wish to take one.
	The Framework for Delivery confirmed that traineeships for 16 to 19-year-olds will be part of 16-19 Study Programmes and will be funded on the same basis. Traineeships will be funded through the Education Funding Agency or, in the case of 16-19 apprenticeship providers, through the Skills Funding Agency. Employers have also had the opportunity to bid for traineeship funding through the second round of the Employer Ownership of Skills Pilots. Applications are now being assessed. A formal announcement on Round 2 winners will be made later in the year.

Vocational Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to paragraph 87 of Traineeships: Framework for Delivery, published 9 May 2013, what steps he will take to prevent providers from abusing the system by recruiting young people who are already prepared for employment or an apprenticeship in order to secure the funding for a full six-month course.

Matthew Hancock: The Framework for Delivery specifies that young people are not eligible for traineeships if they are already ready to start an apprenticeship or if they are already employed.
	In 2013-14, the delivery of traineeships will be limited to those providers who have achieved an Ofsted inspection grade of outstanding or good. We expect these providers to offer a high-quality experience targeted only at those who are eligible for the programme.
	This is the first year of the national rollout of traineeships, and we will monitor the delivery of the programme to ensure that providers are focusing on eligible young people. We will continue to develop and improve the programme over the coming years, and to help with that process we intend to commission an external evaluation of the programme in its first years of operation.

Vocational Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to Traineeships: Framework for Delivery, published 9 May 2013, what estimate he has made of the (a) likely level of uptake among employers in providing traineeships and (b) number of placements that will be required to meet anticipated demand from young people in each of the next three years.

Matthew Hancock: We received a positive response to our traineeships discussion paper (January 2013) from employers and employer representatives. We know that many businesses are keen to support young people to gain the skills and experience that will help them make excellent future employees.
	The National Apprenticeship Service will be working with employers to ensure that there are sufficient traineeship opportunities to meet the demand from the number of eligible young people.

Vocational Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education with reference to paragraph 18 of Traineeships Framework for Delivery, published 9 May 2013, how many providers will be eligible to provide traineeships in 2013-14; which areas will not have any eligible traineeship providers in 2013-14; how he will ensure that all areas of the country have access to one or more traineeship providers after 2013-14; when he expects to achieve nationwide coverage of traineeship providers; and what safeguards he will put in place to ensure low quality providers do not enter the traineeships market.

Matthew Hancock: In 2013/14, the delivery of traineeships will be limited to those providers who have achieved an Ofsted inspection grade of outstanding or good. This will help ensure that traineeships are only delivered by quality providers in the first year of national rollout. Where there is no eligible provider in a location, we will support efforts to ensure that outstanding and good provision becomes available in that area.
	We aim to reduce the requirement for traineeship providers to have achieved certain Ofsted inspection grades as the programme becomes established. We will confirm arrangements for 2014/15 over the next year. The primary measure of success for traineeships will be securing positive outcomes for participants and we intend to hold providers to account against this. We will develop success and destination measures for traineeships which we aim to publish and use for accountability purposes from 2015/16.

Young People: Carers

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he currently provides to schools to support pupils who might be young carers.

Edward Timpson: Several pieces of advice to schools offer guidance on how to support pupils who are young carers, for example advice on issuing no-notice detentions and non-statutory guidance to school sixth forms on making discretionary 16-19 bursary awards. Ofsted also take an interest in support offered to vulnerable students, including young carers during inspections.
	We have also made our online training package to increase awareness of young carers' issues among teachers and school staff available on the websites of Carers Trust and The Children's Society. My Department has provided funding to The Children's Society for four years to promote that training alongside many other school resources and examples of best practice to local authorities and their statutory and voluntary sector partners.
	The Department of Health has also recently announced plans to train school nurses to be champions for young carers. They will speak up on young carers' behalf and help head teachers and governors decide how best to support them at school.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to enable young people with an offer of a farriery apprenticeship in 2013-14 to take up those apprenticeships following the withdrawal of funding by the National Farriery Training Association.

Matthew Hancock: All current learners training with the National Farriery Training Association will be funded to complete their qualification. The Skills Funding Agency is in active discussion with the Farriers Registration Council and colleges that deliver farrier training to secure provision through alternative delivery that ensures high quality training and apprentice safety and welfare.

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.

Jo Swinson: The total running costs for each building used, owned or rented in central London by BIS in each of the last three financial years were as follows:
	
		
			 £ million 
			 Building 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 1 Victoria Street, SW1 19.68 20.86 20.64 
			 10 Victoria Street, SW1 1.92 2.20 2.09 
			 Kingsgate House, Victoria Street, SW1 8.75 8.21 — 
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1 17.55 14.70 12.95 
			 Victoria House, Southampton Row, WC1 0.188 0.796 0.813 
			 21 Bloomsbury Street, WC1 — — 3.47 
			 7-10 Chandos St, W1 0.547 — — 
		
	
	The figures are net running cost figures. The income received from letting space to other organisations has been deducted. Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies (Insolvency Service, Companies House, National Measurement Office, Intellectual Property Office, UK Space Agency, Ordnance Survey, Met Office, Land Registry and the Skills Funding Agency) and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
	Letter from Tim Moss, dated 10 May 2013
	I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 8 May 2013, to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, UIN 154231.
	Companies House maintains one office in London, and its total running costs in each of the last three years were as follows.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010/11 239,295 
			 2011/12 213,392 
			 2012/13 230,889 
		
	
	Letter from Dr Richard Judge, dated 10 May 2013
	The Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has asked me to reply to your question, what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.
	The Insolvency Service is an Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	For the Insolvency Service the relevant figures are:
	
		
			 £ 
			  2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 21 Bloomsbury Street (vacated June 2012) 3,069,531 2,904,535 610,653 
			 4 Abbey Orchard Street — — 1,752,715 
			 Total 3,069,531 2,904,535 2,363,368 
		
	
	Letter from John Alty, dated 13 May 2013
	I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8 May 2013, to the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills asking what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.
	The Intellectual Property Office has maintained a small presence in London renting part of buildings in Abbey Orchard Street after moving from Bloomsbury Street on 21 May 2012.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 
			 Abbey Orchard Street — — 988,000 
			 Bloomsbury Street 822,000 788,000 106,000 
		
	
	The 2012/13 costs for Abby Orchard street include extensive fitting out costs which will not recur.
	Letter from John Hirst, dated 10 May 2013
	I am replying on behalf of the Met Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8 May 2013, UIN 154231 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The total running costs for each building used, owned or rented in central London by the Met Office were £708,513 in 2010-11, £650,209 in 2011-12, and £400,839 in 2012-13.
	I hope this helps.
	Letter from David Parker, dated 10 May 2013
	Thank you for your question addressed to the Secretary of State for the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills asking what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.
	The UK Space Agency became an Executive Agency of the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills on the 1st April 2011.
	The UK Space Agency has access to an area within the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills for staff requiring working space in London. The UK Space Agency has not owned or rented any buildings in central London since the 1st April 2011.
	Letter from Dr Vanessa Lawrence CB, dated 10 May 2013
	As Director General and Chief Executive of Ordnance Survey, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, “what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years”.
	Ordnance Survey rents space in the National Audit Office Building in Buckingham Palace Road, having moved from accommodation in Vauxhall on 1 January 2012.
	Total costs in the last three financial years, including rent rates, services and utilities, were as follows:
	2012-13: £114,839.51 (first full year at Buckingham Palace Road)
	2011-12: £73,598.97
	2010-11: £39,838.43
	I hope this information is helpful.
	Letter from Kim Thorneywork, dated 10 May 2013
	Thank you for your question in asking the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years
	Please be advised that the figures in the table detail the running costs for buildings in Central London paid for by the Skills Funding Agency from April 2010 to March 2013 by building and year.
	The budget for 2010-11 was allocated to Skills Funding Agency and when Skills Funding Agency and YPLA split premises, leaving Centrepoint, it was agreed that the Skills Funding Agency would pay for the cost in that year for YPLA to occupy Sanctuary Buildings.
	
		
			 Costs per building 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Centrepoint 610,758 0 0 
			 Sanctuary Buildings 333,000 0 0 
			 Kingsgate 905,688 0 0 
			 1 Victoria Street 0 725,188 748,870 
			 Total 1,849,446 725,188 748,870 
		
	
	Letter from Malcolm Dawson, dated 10 May 2013
	I write on behalf of Land Registry in response to Parliamentary Question 154231 tabled on 8 May 2013 which asked the following:
	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.
	
		
			 FY  
			 2010-11 1,244,421 
			 2011-12 95,130 
			 2012-13 27,575 
			 Total 1,367,127 
		
	
	I hope you find this information useful.
	Letter from Peter Mason, dated 9 May 2013
	I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (NMO) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 8 May 2013, asking the Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) about the total running costs for each building used, owned or rented in central London by NMO in each of the last three financial years.
	NMO does not use, own or rent any buildings in central London. We do not consider Teddington to be in central London.

Employment Schemes: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what jobs initiatives his Department is supporting in Corby constituency.

Matthew Hancock: We are supporting jobs in Corby by tackling the record deficit to keep interest rates low, tackling barriers to employment, radically reforming education and expanding apprenticeships, which provide individuals of all ages with pathways into employment.
	Final data for 2011/12 show that there were 1,190 apprenticeship starts in Corby parliamentary constituency, up by 25.4% on 2010/11. Provisional data for the first six months of 2012/13 (August 2012 to January 2013) show that there were 610 apprenticeship starts in Corby parliamentary constituency.
	£1.2 million has been awarded this year to the Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership from the regional growth fund to support businesses in the high performance technologies sector and 32 Corby businesses have received a variety of UK Trade and Investment programmes and services support between July 2011 and April 2013.
	In April 2012 we launched an online tool called “Employing staff for the first time” helping to make it easier for businesses taking on their first member of staff. Through the Business in You campaign we are supporting and encouraging people to start or grow their businesses and employ more staff, and small and medium-sized enterprises can access support and advice through
	www.gov.uk
	the new home for Government services and information online.
	A huge number of further measures are taking place to support jobs in Corby and elsewhere to help Britain compete.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Jo Swinson: The following expenditure with G4S is recorded for the Department (including UKTI Admin).
	
		
			 Financial year £ 
			 2008/9 57,019 
			 2009/10 5,074 
			 2010/11 92,001 
			 2011/12 72,391 
			 2012/13 10,414 
			 2013/14 (up to 8 May 2013) Nil 
		
	
	These data exclude NDPBs as this information is not held centrally.

Insolvency

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will bring forward legislative proposals relating to the Insolvency Service for the purposes of allowing (a) individuals or (b) organisations to request, upon the receipt of evidence and for an acceptable reason, investigation of an individual's ability to act as a director; and if he will make a statement.

Jo Swinson: The Government believe that new legislation is unnecessary because these powers of investigation already exist.
	When a company goes into administration, insolvent liquidation or administrative receivership, the insolvency practitioner has a legal duty to report confidentially to the Insolvency Service about the conduct of the directors. If misconduct is alleged the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has the power to seek the director's disqualification where it is believed to be in the public interest.
	If a company is subject to any of these formal insolvency procedures, the insolvency practitioner is the person best placed to collate and report any evidence of misconduct. But any individual or organisation with evidence of misconduct by the company's directors can also bring that evidence to the attention of the insolvency practitioner so that it can be taken into account when the insolvency practitioner reports to the Secretary of State, or can produce that evidence directly to the Insolvency Service acting on behalf of the Secretary of State (BIS).
	The Insolvency Service also has discretionary powers under the Companies Acts to conduct inquiries on behalf of the Secretary of State where it appears that there has been misconduct in relation to the affairs of any company, including those not subject to formal insolvency. Any individual or organisation with evidence of misconduct should send full details of their complaint and all the supporting evidence to:
	Intelligence Hub
	Investigations and Enforcement Services
	The Insolvency Service
	3(rd) Floor Cannon House
	18 Priory Queensway
	Birmingham B4 6FD
	(e-mail: intelligence.live@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk)
	The Secretary of State has powers to use information arising from such inquiries, to seek the disqualification of the directors of the company, petition the court to wind up the company or bring criminal proceedings.

Land Use: Wales

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment (a) he and (b) the Land Registry has made of the (i) Ysceifiog and Nannerch Inclosure Act 1800 and (ii) Whitford Inclosure Act 1800; and whether he has any plans to bring forward proposals repeal or amend either Act.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has no plans to bring forward such proposals. Land Registry's only concern is with the enclosure awards made under the Inclosure Acts.

Land Use: Wales

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many notification of interest letters relating to the Land Registry Act 2002 have been sent to (a) Flintshire residents, (b) Delyn constituency residents and (c) residents of the parishes of (i) Cilcain, (ii) Ysceifiog and (iii) Nannerch in 2013 to date.

Michael Fallon: Land Registry estimates that it has sent out approximately 1,200 notices to date to property owners in Flintshire. The notices are to inform the owners of applications to the registrar for the registration of title to mines and minerals.
	The Delyn constituency appears covers a similar area. The three parishes mentioned are all within Flintshire. But it is not possible for Land Registry to provide estimates of the number of notices sent to the residents of each of them.

Overseas Students: Bahamas

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what programmes there are to encourage university students from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas to study in the UK; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Government recognise the important contribution that international students make to the UK and we welcome all genuine international students to study at our world-class academic institutions. There is no cap on the number of international students coming to study in the UK.
	In addition to promoting UK education through a range of channels, including the Education UK website, managed by British Council and in-country partners, this Department funds a small number of eligible students from the Bahamas through the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will continue to work with partners representing the UK higher education sector to ensure that students looking to study in the UK are aware of the full range of opportunities available to them.

Supermarkets: Competition

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure fair treatment by supermarkets of farmers who supply them with goods.

Jo Swinson: The Government introduced the Groceries Code Adjudicator Act 2013, which creates an Adjudicator to enforce the Groceries Supply Code of Practice and to ensure that supermarkets treat their direct suppliers fairly and lawfully. The Code covers specific practices between the 10 UK retailers with an annual groceries turnover of £1 billion and their direct suppliers. Ms Christine Tacon has been appointed as Groceries Code Adjudicator-Designate.
	The Adjudicator will be able to receive complaints in confidence from any source. She will conduct investigations into potential breaches of the Code, and can impose sanctions against retailers if necessary. The Adjudicator will also arbitrate between retailers and their direct suppliers.
	The Act is due to come into force at the end of June 2013, and the Adjudicator will publish draft guidance for consultation shortly thereafter.

Zoos

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions he has had with representatives of the zoo industry on the investment of that industry's profits into high-profile capital projects.

Michael Fallon: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has held no discussions with the zoo industry.

CABINET OFFICE

Average Earnings: Clwyd

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the average salary in Clwyd South constituency was for (a) women and (b) men in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the average salary in Clwyd South constituency was for (a) women and (b) men in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (154120)
	The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), carried out in April each year, is the most comprehensive source of earnings information in the United Kingdom. Annual levels of earnings are estimated from ASHE, and are provided for employees on adult rates of pay, who have been in the same job for more than a year.
	The following tables show the median and mean gross annual earnings for employee jobs in Clwyd South for all males and females for each year from 2008 to 2012.
	
		
			 Median and mean gross annual earnings (£) for employee jobs(1) in Clwyd South constituency(2) for all males and all females from 2008-12 
			  Median Mean 
			  Male Female Male Female 
			 2008(3) x x **22,376 **13,935 
			 2009(3) **23,759 x *24,284 **14,363 
			 2010(3) **23,003 x **24,893 **13,090 
			 2011(3) **23,650 x **26,800 **13,614 
		
	
	
		
			 2011(4) *23,317 x **26,357 **13,688 
			 2012(4) **21,630 x **22,535 **13,744 
			 (1) Employees on adult rates who have been in the same job for more than one year. (2) Parliamentary constituency. (3) Results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2000. (4) Results based on Standard Occupational Classification 2010. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of a figure, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an average of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population average to be within the range 180 to 220. Key: CV <= 5% * CV > 5% and <=10% ** CV > 10% and <=20% x Unreliable Source: Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE), Office for National Statistics

Conditions of Employment

Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of people employed on zero-hours contracts in each government office region.

Nick Hurd: holding answer 13 May 2013
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate has been made of the number of people employed on zero-hour contracts in each government office region.
	A zero-hours contract is defined as a contract of employment which does not specify a fixed number of hours per week and has no guaranteed minimum number of hours.
	Estimates of the number of people on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey, but due to insufficient sample size are not available for UK regions.
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles labour market statistics for UK regions & local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS), following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. However, estimates of the number of zero hour contracts are not available from this source.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: Neither the Cabinet Office nor the non-departmental public bodies for which its responsible have allocated any funding to the London borough of Enfield in the last five years.

Families

William Bain: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many households with children in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) Scotland contain (i) two adults, who are both the parents of the children, (ii) three or more adults, two of whom are the parents of the children and (iii) only one adult, who is the parent of the children.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to respond to your question on how many households with children in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) England, (c) Wales, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) Scotland contain (i) two adults, who are both the parents of the children, (ii) three or more adults, two of whom are the parents of the children and (iii) only one adult, who is the parent of the children
	The Office for National Statistics does not routinely publish estimates of the number of households containing both adults and dependent children according to whether the adult(s) in the household are biological parents of the children or not. Such analysis is more complex than the question suggests—for example in a two adult household with dependent children, there may be a combination of (a) children who are the biological children of both adults, (b) children who are the biological children of one adult, (c) children who are the biological children of the second adult, and (d) children who are not the biological child of either adult. The latter may include foster and adopted children.
	The annual ONS publication ‘Families and Households’:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/family-demography/families-and-households/2012/index.html
	provides information on households with dependent children in the UK but does not distinguish between biological children, step children and other children. For example in the UK in 2012 there were 5.6 million households containing a couple (two adults) and one or more dependent children, 1.9 million households containing a lone parent (one adult) and one or more dependent children and 0.3 million multifamily households, some of which will contain dependent children (Table 7). It is not possible to readily identify from current survey sources whether adults living in households with children are the biological parents of those children.
	The 2011 Census collected detailed information on household composition but to date no information on households with stepchildren has been published (that would allow the derivation of households with biological children only). The detailed information requested would require a commissioned table and would not be available until late 2013 at the earliest.
	The 2011 Census Key Statistics table KS105 published by ONS provides information on household composition in England, Wales and more detailed geographies:
	http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/datasetList.do?JSAllowed=true&Function=&%24ph=60& CurrentPageId=60&step=1&CurrentTreeIndex=-1&searchString=&datasetFamilyId=2489&Next.x=17&Next.y=10
	Table KS105 shows that in England and Wales combined in 2011 there were 4.5 million couple households with dependent children, 1.7 million lone parent households with dependent children and 0.6 million ‘other’ types of household with dependent children (the latter includes households with three or more adults).
	Similar 2011 Census data for Northern Ireland published by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency show that there were 155 thousand couple households with dependent children, 64 thousand lone parent households with dependent children and 19 thousand ‘other’ types of household with dependent children:
	http://www.ninis2.nisra.gov.uk/Download/Census%202011_Excel/2011/Household%20Composition _KS105NI%20(statistical%20geographies).XLS
	The Census figures above relate to all households with dependent children, not just those where the children are biological children of the adults in the household. Comparable Census information is not yet available for Scotland, or the United Kingdom.

Government Departments: Cybercrime

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate his Department has made of the costs of retrofitting cyber security to existing Government systems.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 13 May 2013
	This Government see cyber security as an integral part of the process of building Government’s ICT systems rather than as an add-on.
	Unfortunately this Government are burdened with legacy ICT systems inherited from the previous Administration. For that reason we are working to reform ICT including through the introduction of new central controls to ensure greater consistency and integration, the creation of a common ICT infrastructure, and the adoption of compulsory open standards.
	Cyber security is not add-on to systems but it is achieved through a set of measures including personnel and process measures as well as hardware and software protections. The cyber security of Government systems also extends to suppliers and any related supply chain and therefore the costs requested cannot be singled out.

Influenza

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office on how many occasions the Civil Contingencies Committee has met to discuss the effects of influenza pandemics in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: Following a review of Cabinet committees in May 2010, the Civil Contingencies Committee was dissolved with its role assumed by a sub-committee of the newly formed National Security Council looking at a wider range of threats and hazards facing the United Kingdom. Its composition and terms of reference can be found on the Cabinet Office website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/83739/Cabinet_Committee_Membership_Lists_Oct-2012.pdf
	In line with the practice of previous Administrations information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees is generally not disclosed.

Internet: Glasgow

John Robertson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had with Carnegie UK regarding its report, Across the Divide: Tackling digital exclusion in Glasgow;
	(2)  what recent discussions he has had with members of the Scottish Government regarding digital exclusion in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow and (c) Scotland.

Nick Hurd: My officials in the Government Digital Service (GDS) have written to Carnegie UK and would welcome the chance to discuss its report.
	The Scottish Government are represented on the Government's Assisted Digital Programme Board and on the Cross Departmental Digital Leaders Network.
	As under the previous Administration, details of such meetings are not disclosed.

Pay

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK earn at least £1 million a year.

Sajid Javid: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Treasury.
	Number of UK taxpayers with total income of £1 million and over are published in Table 3.3 “Distribution of total income before and after tax by gender, 2010-11” available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/income-by-year/table3-3.pdf
	Reliable estimates for individuals with total income over £1 million in Jarrow constituency, South Tyneside and the North East are not available due to small sample sizes.
	Estimates are based on Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) data for 2010-11.

Population

Margaret Curran: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of the residents of each parliamentary constituency in England and Wales were born in Scotland.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many and what proportion of the residents of each parliamentary constituency in England and Wales were born in Scotland. 155682
	A file containing an extract from 2011 Census Table KS204EW which provides the information you have requested for Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies in England and Wales, will be stored in the Library of the House.

Press: Subscriptions

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much No. 10 Downing Street spent on newspapers and periodicals in 2011-12.

Francis Maude: holding answer 14 May 2013
	The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.
	We do not hold total costs centrally on overall spend across my Department on periodicals and newspapers.
	However, further to my answer of 6 November 2012, Official Report, column 575W, which detailed payments through my Department’s central contract to our primary newspaper supplier, my Department spent a total of £8,000 in 2011-12 on payments through our central contract and a further £52,000 over the same period with our main supplier via other channels.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act;
	(2)  what steps his Office is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures;
	(3)  what steps No. 10 Downing Street is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures.

Nick Hurd: Since the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 came into force, Cabinet Office has been the lead Department proactively implementing the Act across Government and the sector:
	We have produced a detailed guidance document:
	ww.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/79273/Public_Services_Social_Value_Act_2012_PPN.pdf
	to help guide commissioners and procurers;
	We are reviewing our internal Cabinet Office procurement processes to ensure Social Value principles are being considered and encouraging other departments to do the same; and
	We have been working in partnership with Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) to run a Social Value Campaign, including a series of joint regional events to help distil key messages across government and the sector more widely.
	In parallel to the above, we have been looking at ways to make it easier for social enterprises to deliver public services under the Act:
	We have recently launched the Commissioning Academy, a programme designed to support capable and confident senior public-sector staff to commission in a way that is sensitive to the needs of civil society; and
	Our Investment Readiness and Contract Readiness Fund supports the growth of successful social ventures which have the potential to deliver services and have a positive social impact at scale, but are not yet in a position to take on repayable finance.

Senior Civil Servants: Pensions

Pamela Nash: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the answer of 25 April 2013, Official Report, column 1097W, on senior civil servants: pensions, when he plans to disclose the details of the remuneration rates for all persons in receipt of Civil Service pensions who are senior civil servants and those paid by non-departmental public bodies at rates in excess of the minimum applicable to the senior Civil Service.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office does not hold the information requested. Departments, agencies and non-departmental public bodies publish information on the salaries of their senior staff in structure charts that are published every six months on their websites linked to:
	http://www.data.gov.uk
	I can confirm that under the current Civil Service pension scheme anyone in receipt of a Civil Service pension and employed in the Civil Service (or any organisation covered by the scheme) has their pension abated. This means that their total pay and pension is limited to the same level of salary that they were earning in the Civil Service before drawing their pension. Further information on the abatement rules can be found at:
	http://resources.civilservice.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/WhatisabatementFeb2013.pdf

Suicide

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Statistical Bulletin on Suicides in the UK, published in January 2013, if he will request the ONS to cross-classify male suicides in England and Wales by the calendar-year quarter of their occurrence in respect of the category, date of death: in 2006 to 2011, and by the calendar-year quarter of their registration in respect of the category registration date: in 2006 to 2011.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated May 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Office for National Statistics to cross-classify male suicides in England and Wales by the calendar-year quarter of their occurrence in respect of the category, date of death: in 2006 to 2011, and by the calendar-year quarter of their registration in respect of the category registration date: in 2006 to 2011.
	Table 1 provides the number of male deaths where the underlying cause was suicide, by quarter of death occurrence and quarter of death registration, in England and Wales, for deaths that occurred between 2006 and 2011 and were registered between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2011 (the latest available period). A copy of Table 1 has been placed in the House of Commons Library,
	Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a suicide to be registered. The latest statistical bulletin showed that the median registration delay for suicides was 158 days in England and Wales in 2011.
	More information on registration delays for other causes can be found on the ONS website:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/user-guidance/health-and-life-events/impact-of-registration-delays-on-mortality-statistics/index.html
	Figures for suicides in the United Kingdom, England and Wales, and regions of England, by age and sex, are published annually on the ONS website. The latest statistical bulletin also includes analysis of the impact of registration delays on UK suicide statistics:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/publications/all-releases.html?definition=tcm%3A77-29400

TREASURY

Advance Corporation Tax

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the contribution of the abolition of advanced corporation tax to the reduction in the value of pension funds;
	(2)  how much has been raised by the withdrawal of advance corporation tax credit on pensions.

Sajid Javid: No recent assessment has been made of the impact on pension funds of the withdrawal by the previous Government in the late 1990s of the payable dividend tax credit. It is not possible to estimate this reliably, owing to the length of time that has passed and the wide range of factors that may have affected pension funds' asset base and investment strategy in the intervening years.
	Papers released by the previous Administration on this issue can be found at:
	http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20081013114842/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/6469.htm

Banks: Loans

Naomi Long: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of the Funding for Lending Scheme on the lending market in Northern Ireland.

Greg Clark: The Funding for Lending Scheme (FLS) was launched to boost bank lending to UK households and businesses. The scheme is designed to reduce the funding costs of banks and provide them with a strong incentive to increase their lending across the UK. The UK Government are committed to help Northern Irish businesses grow and will continue to work hard to support the Northern Irish economy, including in the area of bank lending. The Government will continue to update the Northern Ireland Executive as the scheme progresses.

Banks: Pay

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects of a tax on bonuses of bank employees in the UK.

Greg Clark: The Government have been clear that banks must act responsibly in setting their pay, and have taken robust action to tackle unacceptable bank bonuses.
	This Government strongly believe that the Bank Levy, rather than a Bank Payroll Tax, is the best way forward. The Levy is a permanent tax, designed to raise over £21.5 billion every year. The Levy ensures banks make a fair contribution in respect of the potential risks they pose to the UK financial system and wider economy.

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each of the last three financial years.

Sajid Javid: All properties owned, used and rented by the Department and their total running costs for the last three years are as follows:
	(a) 1 Horse Guards Road, London, is HM Treasury's HQ building. Although the Crown owns the freehold, the building itself is subject to a private finance initiative agreement under a 35-year leaseback arrangement. The annual costs of this agreement are published under Core Treasury costs in Section 7.1 (for 2010-12) and Section 8.1 (for 2009-11) of the Departments Resource Accounts available through links on the website at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/dep_perf_reports_index.htm
	(b) HMT also occupies space in other Government Department buildings under MOTOs (Memorandum of Terms of Occupation), internal documents that record terms of occupation agreed between two Departments, and pays proportionately for the space it uses. MOTOs cover space in Downing St and Victoria St, London SW1 and Albert Embankment, London SE1.
	(c) The only leasehold premises are occupied by the Debt Management Office, part of the HM Treasury group, in Philpot Lane, London EC3 and held on a lease expiring in 2021. The monthly cost for 2011-12 was £124.801.

Children: Day Care

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the potential effects on measured child poverty rates of the additional childcare support announced in the 2013 Budget.

Sajid Javid: The Government will consider the distributional impacts of the additional child care support as this policy is developed in detail.
	In addition, the Government have sought a wide range of views as part of a consultation on better measures of child poverty, which include income but also wider measures to tackle the root causes of poverty including worklessness, educational failure and family breakdown. The consultation has now closed and the Government will respond in the summer.

Children: Day Care

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of households eligible for the higher rate of childcare support under universal credit as announced in Budget 2013.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to her previous question number 149974, on 10 April 2013, Official Report, columns 1174-75W.

Children: Day Care

Kate Green: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the distribution by income decile of additional gains to families arising from the additional childcare support announced as part of Budget 2013.

Sajid Javid: The Government will consider the distributional impacts of the additional childcare support as this policy is developed in detail. The Government continue to assess the cumulative impacts of all their measures within the “impacts on Households” annex, which is published at each fiscal event.

Construction: Scotland

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Federation of Master Builders in Scotland on (a) falling workloads and rising costs and (b) the effects of these factors on unemployment.

Sajid Javid: Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations. This is available online at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister_hospitality.htm

Corporation Tax

John Robertson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had regarding corporation tax with (a) RWE Npower, (b) SSE, (c) EDF, (d) E.ON, (e) British Gas and (f) Scottish Power;
	(2)  what internal discussions his Department has had regarding the corporation tax payment of (a) RWE Npower, (b) SSE, (c) EDF, (d) E.ON, (e) British Gas and (f) Scottish Power.

David Gauke: Treasury Ministers do not hold discussions on corporation tax payments with companies, nor do they have access to the details of companies' or individuals’ tax affairs, as the tax system is administered by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC). HMRC has a statutory duty of taxpayer confidentiality and so cannot disclose this information either to HM Treasury or to the wider public, other than in very limited circumstances.
	HMRC's Large Business Service (LBS) directly engages with the 2,000 largest businesses to develop an in-depth knowledge of their business model, business and tax issues, appetite for risk in tax planning, and internal governance. The LBS includes a dedicated unit of tax professionals for managing tax risks in the utility sector.

Economic Growth

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on any relationship between socio-economic class and economic growth.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury regularly conducts distributional analysis of the impact of its policies on different household groups. The distributional analysis is published in HM Treasury's distributional analysis annex, available on the HM Treasury website.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London Borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: The Treasury and its non departmental public bodies have not made any payments to the London borough of Enfield county in any of the last five years.

European Court of Human Rights

Chris Heaton-Harris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer under which Vote costs and damages ordered by the European Court of Human Rights are paid.

Helen Grant: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.
	It is for the lead Department with responsibility for the policy which is the subject of the judgment to pay the costs and damages awarded by the European Court of Human Rights from departmental funds.
	In the case of a judgment against the UK that awards costs and damages and which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice, the payment would be made from voted funds under subhead A (Policy, Corporate Services and Associated Offices) as reflected in the Ministry of Justice Main or Supplementary Estimate.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Sajid Javid: HM Treasury does not currently hold any contracts with G4S.
	HM Treasury spend with G4S since 2008:
	
		
			 Financial year £(1) 
			 2008-09 6,199 
			 2009-10 235,296 
			 2010-11 8,905 
			 2011-12 0 
			 2012-13 0 
			 (1) Excluding VAT.

Goldman Sachs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps have been taken by HM Revenue and Customs to recover the interest owed by Goldman Sachs on the tax bill which it delayed paying.

David Gauke: HMRC has a statutory duty to maintain taxpayer confidentiality and may not disclose information unless the limited and controlled circumstances set out in the statute creating HMRC apply.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effects of falling workloads and rising costs in the domestic repair, maintenance and improvement market on unemployment in (a) Paisley and Renfrewshire North constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK.

Sajid Javid: In the three months to March 2013, the unemployment rate was 7.8% in the UK, and 7.3% in Scotland. Over the year, employment in the UK has increased by 434,000 while unemployment has fallen 92,000. Scotland had the largest increase in regional employment, increasing by 30,000; while unemployment has fallen by 21,000. The unemployment rate was 8.1% in Paisley and Renfrewshire North in 2012.
	The non-seasonally adjusted value of the repair and maintenance on housing in construction output in Great Britain increased by 1.9% in the year to March 2013. In Scotland it increased by 4.1% in 2012. These data are not available at the constituency level.
	Budget 2013 announced a range of measures which will help support the construction industry and increase activity in the housing market. Furthermore, the construction sector is one of the industries identified in the Government's Industrial Strategy, announced in September 2012, which aims to maintain and enhance the UK's global position in 11 key sectors.

Income Tax

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the annual cost or benefit to the public purse will be of reducing the additional rate of income tax to 45%.

David Gauke: Estimated cost of reducing the additional rate of income tax to 45% is available on the Government website, Budget 2013, table 2.2:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2013-documents

Income Tax

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK will benefit from the reduced additional rate of income tax from 50% to 45%.

David Gauke: The information is as follows:
	(a) (b) Data on the number of individuals benefiting from the reduction in additional rate at parliamentary constituency level are not available. This is because the projections would not be reliable at this level.
	(c) Regional population projections on the number of additional rate taxpayers in the North East can be found in table 2.2 “Number of income taxpayers, by country”, on HMRC’s website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-2.pdf
	Statistics indicate that there will be around 3,000 additional rate taxpayers in the North East in 2013-14.
	(d) Population projections on number of additional rate taxpayers in the UK can be found in table 2.1 “Number of individual income taxpayers”, on HMRC’s website:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-1.pdf
	Statistics indicate that there will be around 287,000 additional rate taxpayers in the UK in 2013-14.
	The projected estimates are based upon the 2010-11 Survey of Personal Incomes using economic assumptions consistent with the OBR's March 2013 economic and fiscal outlook.

Income Tax

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households containing at least one child and only one adult earning (a) more and (b) less than the threshold for income there will be in (i) the UK, (ii) each nation and each region of the UK and (iii) each parliamentary constituency in the UK in each of the next four financial years.

David Gauke: The following table gives the number of households with children and one adult, by the position of this adult in relation to the personal allowance, in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Figures are not available for (a) geographical breakdowns smaller than the UK; and (b) 2015-16 and 2016-17.
	
		
			  2013-14 (Personal allowance = £9,440) 2014-15 (Personal allowance = £10,000) 
			 Earning below the personal allowance (including non-working adults) 845,000 854,000 
			 Earning above the personal allowance 509,000 500,000 
			 All 1,354,000 1,354,000 
		
	
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000; totals may not sum due to rounding.

Income Tax: Warrington

Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in (a) Warrington and (b) Warrington North constituency will see a reduction in the additional rate of income tax from 50% to 45%.

David Gauke: Data on the number of individuals benefiting from the reduction in additional rate at local authority and parliamentary constituency level are not available. This is because the projections would not be reliable.

National Insurance Contributions: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect of employment allowance on (a) businesses and (b) charities in Peterborough constituency; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: Constituency level estimates of those likely to benefit from the employment allowance are not available. In total, up to 1.25 million employers will benefit from the allowance, with over 90% of this benefit going to small businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012

Hazel Blears: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department is taking to implement the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 in its procurement procedures; and what guidance he has given to his Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies on implementation of that Act.

Sajid Javid: I refer the hon. Lady to the answer which I gave to her on 14 May 2013, Official Report, column 484.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Sajid Javid: The Department has had no subscriptions to any of the academic journals that you refer to, Reed-Elsevier, Wiley-Blackwell and Springer, over the last five years.
	However, the Department has used the academic publishers EBSCO and PROquest over the last five years, and the total spend with these suppliers was £63,089 covering the period from April 2008 to March 2013.

Revenue and Customs

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average length of call waiting time for those telephoning HM Revenue and Customs from Bassetlaw constituency was in 2012-13.

David Gauke: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis) on 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 678W.
	HMRC periodically publishes its performance statistics at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/about/bus-plan-qds.htm
	And now at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/business-plan-indicators

Revenue and Customs

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate HM Revenue and Customs has made of the number of requests for access to communications data it would make under the Communications Data Bill if that Bill received Royal Assent; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not hold the information requested. If the Communications Data Bill were to receive Royal Assent then HMRC would make full use of the powers in the Act to support investigations into serious and organised criminal attacks on the UK's tax systems. Until such time it cannot speculate on how many requests for access to communications data would be necessary.

Revenue and Customs

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many requests were made by HM Revenue and Customs for access to communications data in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) acquires Communications Data to support investigations into a broad range of financial frauds perpetrated by serious, organised criminal groups, including the smuggling and diversion of excise goods, indirect tax fraud (including multi-trader intra-community VAT fraud), money laundering and the illegal import and export of strategic goods.
	The Acquisition and Disclosure of Communications Data Codes of Practice (section 71 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000) require the Department—as a relevant public authority—to keep a record of the following items for inspection by the Interception of Communications Commissioner's Office (paragraph 6.5):
	number of applications submitted to a designated person for a decision to obtain communications data which were rejected after due consideration;
	number of notices requiring disclosure of communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21 (4) of the Act or any combinations of data;
	number of authorisations for conduct to acquire communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21 (4) of the Act or any combinations of data;
	number of times an urgent notice is given orally, or an urgent authorisation granted orally, requiring disclosure of communications data within the meaning of each subsection of section 21 (4) of the Act or any combination of data.
	Since 2008 HMRC has requested the following items of Communications Data under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000:
	2008
	(a) 1,328 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 1,167 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 8,506 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	2009
	(a) 1,778 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 669 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 8,722 (section 21(4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2010
	(a) 1,789 (section 21(4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 376 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 9,471 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2011
	(a) 2,784 (section 21(4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 92 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 11,952 (section 21(4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2012
	(a) 3,013 (section 21(4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 89 (section 21(4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 11,812 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	2013 (to 10 May 2013)
	(a) 1,345 (section 21 (4)(a)—traffic data)
	(b) 12 (section 21 (4)(b)—service use data)
	(c) 5,577 (section 21 (4)(c)—subscriber data)
	The figures up to 2009 also include Communications Data requests relating to drugs operations which HMRC undertook on behalf of the UKBA.

Revenue and Customs

Nick de Bois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost was to the public purse of all requests for access to communications data made by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs only holds the information requested for the last three financial years. The approximate cost of obtaining communications data in those years was:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 360,000 
			 2011-12 290,000 
			 2012-13 260,000

Tax Havens: British Virgin Islands

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the findings of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on money held in the British Virgin Islands.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is working with the United States and Australian tax administrations (the IRS and ATO) to analyse data which reveal extensive use of complex offshore structures to conceal assets by wealthy individuals and companies. The data also expose information that may be shared with other tax administrations as part of the global fight against tax evasion.
	Early results show the use of companies and trusts in a number of territories around the world including Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, and the Cook Islands.
	HMRC has not seen the data reportedly held by the ICIJ, but believes that information is broadly similar to the data it holds.

Tonnage Tax

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total value of concessions given by HM Revenue and Customs to shipping companies in respect of the tonnage tax scheme was in 2012-13.

Sajid Javid: HMRC has granted no concessions to shipping companies in respect of the tonnage tax scheme in 2012-13.
	Statistics are published by HMRC on .the estimated reduction in tax liabilities accrued by the UK shipping industry through the tonnage tax regime for 2011 -12 and 2012-13. These are available at the following link:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/expenditures/table1-5.pdf
	As complete tax returns data for 2012-13 are not yet available, the estimate is based on projecting forward data from tax returns for 2010.

Tonnage Tax

John McDonnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many vessels qualified for the tonnage tax scheme in 2012-13; and how many have qualified to date for the scheme in 2013-14.

Sajid Javid: The information requested is not available, as the tax returns data for the years requested are not yet complete.

Tourism: Government Assistance

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what fiscal steps he is taking to support (a) the tourism sector and (b) zoos and aquariums.

David Gauke: Tourism is one of Britain's most important industries and the Government are committed to fostering the conditions for growth and promoting Britain as a top tourism destination.
	Alongside the private sector, the Government fund campaigns by VisitEngland and VisitBritain to promote the UK as an international and domestic tourism destination. Over four years VisitBritain's international campaign, including GREAT, will be investing £137 million in inbound tourism to the UK. This is expected to deliver an additional 4.7 million extra visitors to Britain, £2.3 billion more spending in our economy and over 60,000 new job opportunities between 2011 and 2015. Over the same period, promotion of domestic tourism by VisitEngland and the devolved nation's tourist boards is expected to generate £500 million in extra spend and 12,500 new job opportunities
	The Government have introduced a number of tax changes to support businesses of all types. Most recently, the Government announced in the Budget that they will reduce the main rate of corporation tax to 20% and give businesses an entitlement to a £2,000 per year employment allowance towards their employer National Insurance Contribution bill, from April 2014, to reduce the cost of hiring staff. These measures will support all businesses including those in tourism and operators of zoos and aquariums.

Welfare Tax Credits

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2013, Official Report, column 1015W, on income tax, what assessment he has made of the number of households containing children and with two adults each earning above the threshold for income tax who (a) will be in receipt of tax credits and (b) will not be in receipt of tax credits in (i) this and (ii) the next financial year.

David Gauke: The following table gives the number of households with children and two adults, where both adults earn above the personal allowance, which are and are not in receipt of working or child tax credits, in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
	
		
			  2013 2014 
			 In receipt of tax credits 202,000 177,000 
			 Not in receipt of tax credits 2,175,000 2,147,000 
			 Total 2,377,000 2,324,000 
		
	
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000; totals may not sum due to rounding.

Welfare Tax Credits

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households containing a child and one adult earning (a) more and (b) less than the threshold for income tax in (i) the UK, (ii) each nation and each region of the UK and (iii) each parliamentary constituency in the UK will receive tax credits in each of the next four financial years.

David Gauke: The following table gives the number of UK households with children and a single adult and are in receipt of working or child tax credits, and their position in relation to the personal allowance, in 2013-14 and 2014-15. Regional breakdowns cannot be provided due to small sample sizes.
	
		
			  2013-14 (Personal allowance = £9,440) 2014-15 (Personal allowance = £10,000) 
			 Earning below the personal allowance (including non-working adults) 845,000 854,000 
			 Earning above the personal allowance 398,000 381,000 
			 All 1,243,000 1,236,000 
		
	
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000; totals may not sum due to rounding. HM Treasury's modelling assumes full take of the benefits to which an individual is entitled; therefore, all households with children with incomes below the personal allowance are entitled to child tax credits.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Bangladesh

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development for what reason her Department committed additional resources to the CHARS Livelihoods programme in Bangladesh prior to completion and publication of the evaluation of that project.

Justine Greening: The decision to fund Phase 2 of the CHARS Livelihoods Programme (CLP2) was taken by Ministers in December 2009 under the previous Government.

Biofuels

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on the effect of biofuels on hunger ahead of the meeting of the EU Energy Council on 6 June 2013;
	(2)  whether the G8-linked event on Hunger and Nutrition on 8 June 2013 will address the issue of biofuels as a cause of hunger;
	(3)  what discussions she has had with her counterparts in (a) DECC, (b) DfT, (c) BIS and (d) DEFRA about the proposed amendment to the EU Renewable Energy Directive to limit the amount of food-based biofuels to 5% of the total.

Justine Greening: We believe that food production must remain the primary goal of agriculture and production of biomass for bioenergy must not undermine food security in developing countries.
	The Nutrition for Growth Event on 8 June will have ambitious targeted outcomes on nutrition.
	The Department for International Development has regular discussions with other Whitehall Departments in relation to the proposed amendment to the EU RED to limit the amount of food based biofuels to 5% of the total.

Consultants

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether her Department's contracts for the provision of aid programmes by private contractors include provisions relating to the awarding of bonuses by those contractors to individual consultants.

Justine Greening: DFID does not include provisions relating to the awarding of bonuses in its contracts.

Developing Countries: Nutrition

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of her Department's funding was committed to nutrition-specific programmes in 2012.

Alan Duncan: Under the coalition Government, UK annual expenditure on nutrition has almost doubled from £19.3 million in 2009-10 to £37.5 million in 2011-12. This does not capture the significant UK expenditure on nutrition-sensitive programmes, humanitarian response programmes, or nutrition research. Nutrition sensitive programmes are programmes across a range of sectors for example, social protection, agriculture or health which are also designed to have a nutritional impact.

Developing Countries: Water

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes her Department supports to assist poorer countries in North Africa and the Gulf in water management.

Alan Duncan: DFID supports water management programmes in two countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, Jordan and Yemen. In Jordan, we are supporting a project that will help to provide reliable access to quality water for both individuals and businesses through the G8 Deauville MENA Transition Fund.
	In Yemen, DFID supports an International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) project that helps smallholders adapt to the effects of climate change, including planning for watershed management, flash-flooding and water use. DFID is also a major contributor to the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience, which works on conservation of surface and ground water in Yemen among other countries.

East Kilbride

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff are located at her Department's headquarters in East Kilbride.

Alan Duncan: There are 561 staff located at DFID headquarters at East Kilbride as at 30 April 2013.

International Assistance

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if the UK will press for the disaggregation of data by a range of factors to feature prominently in the framework that will replace the Millennium Development Goals.

Justine Greening: The Government have been clear they want to see a “data revolution” for the next development framework. The UK will continue to press for sufficient data disaggregation in the new goal framework.

Latin America

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of disparities in maternal mortality rates between indigenous women and national populations in Latin America.

Alan Duncan: DFID has made no specific assessment of disparities in maternal mortality rates between indigenous women and national populations in Latin America.

Nepal

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding (a) has been and (b) will be given to the government of Nepal to address widespread gender-based violence in that country, including to assist in implementing the government of Nepal's National Action Plan for the Implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820.

Alan Duncan: The UK is providing extensive support to the Government of Nepal to address gender-based violence, including:
	Technical expertise (with a value of £254,000) to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to develop a special Unit and a National Plan of Action to address gender-based violence.
	A three year Women's Paralegal Committee Programme (with a value of £6.5 million), delivered by UNICEF in coordination with Government, to help prevent violence against women and girls.
	Funding (with a total value of £6 million—£840,000 attributed to the UK), through the joint Government of Nepal and donor-funded Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF), to support the implementation of UNSCR 1325 and 1820. This will help women and girls affected by the conflict to rebuild their livelihoods and to seek justice for conflict and violence-related abuses.
	Over £500,000 has also been provided to civil society organisations for awareness-raising and prevention of violence against women and girls.
	All of our programmes in Nepal undergo a gender assessment during their design stage to ensure that women and girls are involved in decision-making processes and can access programme benefits. We are currently designing a new security and justice programme (value yet to be determined) which will build on existing support and help strengthen the justice system in Nepal to deliver a reduction in violence against women.

Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how many middle income countries receive overseas development assistance through (a) bilateral programmes and (b) multilateral organisations;
	(2)  which middle income countries receive official development assistance from the Government; what proportion of this assistance is in the form of (a) bilateral programmes and (b) support via multilateral organisations; how much each such country receives; how many such countries have received increased allocations since May 2010; and how much increase any such country has received.

Justine Greening: Annex 1 of the “Statistics on International Development” (SID) publication - available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statistics-on-international-development
	lists all recipient countries, alongside details of country income classifications and eligibility for Official Development Assistance.
	Tables 16.2-16.6 of the SID publication list UK net bilateral ODA figures by recipient countries.
	Table B.4 of Annex B within DFID's Annual Report 2012 - available online at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/series/dfid-annual-report-2011-2012
	lists imputed UK multilateral ODA shares by recipient countries.

Training

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in (a) her Department and (b) the non-departmental public body for which she is responsible enrolled in publicly-funded training courses in each of the last five years; what the total cost has been of such courses; and what the monetary value was of the 10 highest training course fees in each such year.

Alan Duncan: DFID operates a decentralised Learning and Development system and does not hold central records of course attendance or small scale expenditure. DFID publishes all expenditure over £500, which can be found on our website:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/About-us/How-we-measure-progress/DFID-spend/
	Producing any other type of report would incur disproportionate costs.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate his Department has made of the number of affordable homes built in 2012.

Mark Prisk: The number of affordable homes built in England in 2011-12, the most recent year for which data are available, is published in the Department's live table 1009, available at the following link:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-affordable-housing-supply
	The figures show that the average number of new affordable homes being delivered under this Government are a third higher than under the last Administration.

Coastal Areas

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding has been allocated to each of the principal seaside towns under the Working Neighbourhoods Fund to date.

Brandon Lewis: A table showing Working Neighbourhood Fund allocations for all local authorities has been placed in the Library of the House.
	The Fund was a time-limited, three-year programme that ended as originally scheduled in March 2011. More information can be found in a deposited paper from February 2011, available in the Library and online at:
	http://data.parliament.uk/DepositedPapers/Files/DEP2011-0295/DEP2011-0295.tif

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many firefighters over the age of 50 are currently employed within Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service;
	(2)  how many firefighters in Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service were redeployed to less physically demanding positions in (a) 2012-13, (b) 2011-12, (c) 2010-11, (d) 2009-10 and (e) 2008-09.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

EU Grants and Loans

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will list (a) the total amount of European Regional Development Fund funding by English region committed to projects to date and (b) what percentage of the total allocation this represents.

Brandon Lewis: holding answer 14 May 2013
	The figures for contractually committed ERDF projects in England as at the 31 March 2013 are as follows:
	
		
			 ERDF operational programme Total operational programme allocation (£ million) Amount of ERDF contractually committed(£ million) Proportion of ERDF allocation contractually committed (Percentage) Proportion of ERDF allocation contractually committed and awaiting contracting (Percentage) 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly (Convergence) 378.123 331.934 87.80 90.76 
			 Regional competitiveness:     
			 North East 315.900 246.763 78.13 106.54 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 471.703 348.899 74.07 116.20 
			 North West 633.617 462.774 73.05 106.43 
			 West Midlands 327.940 255.211 77 82 102.27 
			 East Midlands 221.409 146.625 66.23 109.42 
			 East of England 91.013 88.307 97.09 110.96 
			 South East 19.505 13.916 71.43 88.37 
			 South West 102.290 79.100 77.34 83.19 
			 London 153.494 134.613 87.72 97.46 
			 Totals/Average proportion committed 2.715 billion 2.108 billion 77.64 104.33 
		
	
	The 2007-13 programme is on course and on track. An average of over 100% of the programme has been contractually committed or is awaiting contracting, with matched funding in place. We are exactly where we would expect to be at this point in the seven-year programme.
	Funds can be allocated until the end of 2013, and funds should be spent by 2015.

Fire Services

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he has taken to ascertain the views of fire brigade staff about his proposals to permit the spinning out of fire brigades as public service mutuals.

Brandon Lewis: Any decision to set up a public service mutual and to consult staff accordingly will be a matter for the relevant fire and rescue authority.
	I also refer the hon. Member to my answer of 13 May 2013, Official Report, column 54W.

Fire Services: Life Expectancy

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average life expectancy is of currently-retired firefighters.

Brandon Lewis: The Government Actuary's Department produced a note in January 2010 on firefighter pensioner scheme longevity, which found that over the period 2003 to 2007 the anticipated longevity of firefighters in retirement was as set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Age at retirement in 2007 Expected UK population longevity Expected firefighter pensioner longevity 
			 50 (male) 34.7 36.3 
			 55 (male) 29.9 31.6 
			 60 (male) 25.1 27.0 
			 50 (female) 37.9 38.0 
			 55 (female) 32.8 33.3 
			 60 (female) 27.9 28.6 
		
	
	The note by the Government Actuary's Department can be found at the following weblink:
	http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http://communities.gov.uk/documents/fire/pdf/1436114

Fire Stations: West Midlands

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many fire stations there were in (a) Birmingham and (b) the West Midlands in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: Numbers of fire stations for areas within fire and rescue authorities are not held centrally. The numbers of fire stations are therefore shown in the table for each fire and rescue authority in the area requested, with historic data for comparative purposes.
	
		
			 Number of fire stations by fire and rescue authority as at 31 March 
			  West Midlands Hereford and Worcester Shropshire Staffordshire Warwickshire 
			 2005 41 27 23 30 19 
			 2006 41 27 23 30 19 
			 2007 40 27 23 30 19 
			 2008 40 27 23 30 19 
			 2009 39 27 23 30 19 
			 2010 39 27 26 30 19 
			 2011 39 27 26 33 19 
			 2012 39 27 23 33 17 
			 Source: Chartered Institute of Public Finance Accountancy

Hotels: Heating

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has supplied to hotels and other accommodation providers on fitting thermostatic valves in guest rooms.

Don Foster: The Department does not provide guidance of this sort. However, changes to the Building Regulations that came into force in April 2010 introduced a new requirement for thermostatic mixing valves to be fitted on baths in new dwellings. This was in response to evidence which demonstrated that there were a significant number of scalding accidents each year in the home, particularly to young children and the old. We are not aware of evidence that would justify extending this requirement further, for example, to hotels.

Housing Improvement

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  with reference to the letter sent to hon. Members of 19 April 2013, on making it easier for families to improve their home, what plans he has to monitor the effects of the new rules on extensions;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential cost to local authorities of providing planning services to homeowners wishing to extend their property by up to eight metres;
	(3)  with reference to the letter sent to hon. Members of 19 April 2013, on making it easier for families to improve their home, what guidance his Department plans to publish to support the implementation of the new rules on extensions;
	(4)  with reference to the letter sent to hon. Members of 19 April 2013, on making it easier for families to improve their home, what discussions he had with external organisations about the new rules on extensions prior to their introduction to the Growth and Infrastructure Bill.

Nicholas Boles: We consulted on our proposals to extend permitted development rights for homeowners and businesses in November 2012. The Government's response to the consultation was published on 9 May, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. Having carefully considered the consultation responses and matters raised in the debates during the passage of the Growth and Infrastructure Act, we have introduced a new neighbours' consultation scheme for larger householder extensions. Information on the new limits for householder extensions and the operation of the neighbours' consultation scheme is available on the Planning Portal at:
	www.planningportal.gov.uk/permission/commonprojects/extensions/
	The secondary legislation to amend the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development Order) 1995 was laid on 9 May 2013, and the changes will be monitored in due course with a view to determining whether the three-year period they will be in place should be extended further. The changes mean that local authorities will benefit from a reduced number of planning applications. The Department is currently engaging in discussions with the Local Government Association on its assessment of the overall impact on local authorities. Currently no net additional costs are envisaged.

Local Government: Allowances and Pay

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much was paid in (a) travel, (b) accommodation and (c) other expenses to each local authority chief executive in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13;
	(2)  what (a) salary, (b) pension contribution and (c) expenses were paid to each local authority chief executive in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

Brandon Lewis: This information is not held centrally. Local authorities are each independent employers and Government do not formally collect detailed information about the remuneration of senior local authority staff.
	Local authorities are required to publish details of the remuneration of their most senior employees in their annual Statements of Accounts. This includes information about salary, fees, allowances, expense allowance, employer's pension contribution and other benefits. Statements of Accounts must be available for public inspection including on an authority's website.
	The Government have taken steps to further increase the transparency and accountability of local decisions on pay and reward. Under the Transparency Code, authorities are expected to make easily available details of the remuneration of their most senior staff. In addition, measures introduced in the Localism Act require authorities to publish an annual statement explaining their policies toward the pay and reward of their staff, particularly senior staff.

Local Government: Procurement

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many procurement contracts have been issued by local authorities using clauses within the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 to date; and what the estimated total value of such contracts has been.

Brandon Lewis: We do not collect or hold this information centrally.
	The Act does not prescribe that considerations made under it should be recorded and it is for local authorities to ensure that they meet the requirements of the Act.
	A Procurement Policy Note issued by the Cabinet Office explaining the requirements placed upon commissioners and procurement staff by the Act was circulated by the Department for Communities and Local Government to local authorities on 3 January 2013.

Non-domestic Rates: Chemists' Shops

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of designating pharmacies as buildings for the provision of healthcare for the purpose of determining business rates; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make it his policy to designate community pharmacies as buildings for the provision of healthcare for the purpose of determining business rates.

Brandon Lewis: The assessment of rateable values for non-domestic rates is a matter for the Valuation Office Agency and it is not the role of Ministers to intervene in those decisions. All rateable values are assessed to a common basis using common rules and ratepayers who disagree with their assessments may appeal to the Valuation Tribunal.

Non-domestic Rates: Empty Property

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will introduce measures to require landlords receiving empty property rate relief to make public details of that relief and the properties affected.

Brandon Lewis: The Government have no current plans to introduce measures to require landlords receiving empty property rate relief to make public details of that relief and the properties affected.
	Business rates in Wales are a devolved matter.

Parking

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations he has received from (a) trade organisations and (b) individuals on local authority car parking strategies.

Brandon Lewis: The Department regularly receives correspondence from organisations and individuals which relate to the topics of car parking cost, availability, spatial planning and enforcement, but we do not keep specific records on each issue raised by a correspondent. Departmental consultations (such as on the revised Transparency Code) may also have included representations on parking.
	More broadly, I also refer the hon. Member to the answer of 1 November 2012, Official Report, column 346W, which outlines the actions that my Department is taking on parking, including those in response to the Mary Portas review.
	We will be taking further steps to ensure that parking policies and practices support local high streets.

Planning

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the National Planning Policy Framework, what definition his Department uses for (a) deliverability and (b) viability.

Nicholas Boles: The National Planning Policy Framework at footnote 11 explains that to be considered deliverable “sites should be available now, offer a suitable location for development now, and be achievable with a realistic prospect that housing will be delivered on the site within five years and in particular that development of the site is viable.”
	Furthermore, planning policy on viability is set out at paragraph 173. This states that, to ensure viability, “the costs of any requirements likely to be applied to development, such as requirements for affordable housing, standards, infrastructure contributions or other requirements should, when taking account of the normal cost of development and mitigation, provide competitive returns to a willing land owner, and willing developer to enable the development to be deliverable.”
	Further guidance is contained within the Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment guidance (August 2007) on assessing deliverability, which includes assessing viability. This guidance remains in place pending the outcome of the review of planning practice guidance, and can still be used where relevant to the National Planning Policy Framework.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Brandon Lewis: Our procurement files show that there was no spend on subscriptions with the publishers mentioned. A full investigation involving searching through our financial ledger would incur disproportionate costs as we do not categorise expenditure by academic publishers.

Scotland

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which external (a) organisations and (b) individuals his Department has engaged as part of the Scotland analysis programme; and what was discussed at such consultations;
	(2)  how many officials in his Department have been allocated to work on the Scotland analysis programme; and at what cost to the public purse;
	(3)  what meetings he and officials in his Department have had with the right hon. Member for Edinburgh South West as part of the Scotland analysis programme; and what was discussed at those meetings;
	(4)  what work his Department has commissioned from external consultants in relation to work on the Scotland analysis programme; which consultants were used; and at what cost to the public purse.

Brandon Lewis: Work on the Scotland analysis programme is being carried out across Government by policy experts in relevant areas. There is a small team in Her Majesty's Treasury co-ordinating the programme. As the programme largely relates to reserved areas of policy, DCLG is not actively involved in the analysis.

Shops: Empty Property

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many shops received empty property rate relief in each (a) local authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in each year for which figures are available.

Brandon Lewis: The information requested is not held centrally.

Shops: Empty Property

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will give consideration to reforming the system of compulsory purchase orders to allow local authorities and business improvement districts to buy a medium-term lease on empty shops. [Official Report, 4 June 2013, Vol. 563, c. 17-18MC.]

Nicholas Boles: Local authorities have a power under section 13 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to acquire new rights over land which do not exist at the time the compulsory purchase order is made. This would include a lease. As with all compulsory purchase orders, the acquiring authority would have to demonstrate that there were no impediments to its scheme going ahead and that it had a compelling case in the public interest to deprive the owner of the land of his property rights.

Temporary Employment

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether all agency staff employed by his Department are paid at or above the relevant level of the living wage.

Brandon Lewis: The Government support the living wage and encourage business to take it up where possible and affordable. However, the decision on what wages to set is for individual employers and workers, and these include agency staff working in the Department.
	More broadly, from April 2013, the Government have raised the personal income allowance to £9,440—an income tax cut for 24 million tax payers—which will particularly help those on local incomes. The recent Budget announced the personal allowance will rise again to £10,000 from April 2014.

Urban Areas

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the financial benefit to the Portas Pilot Round 1 and 2 winners as a result of local economic growth following their participation in the Portas Pilot scheme;
	(2)  what proportion of the money allocated to high street partnerships under the Portas Pilots scheme has been spent to date in respect of each of the schemes funded.

Mark Prisk: The Government have given the Portas Pilots a share of £2.4million to spend as and when they see fit to best improve their high streets and encourage residents to shop locally. The main aim of this scheme has been to harness the energy and enthusiasm of local people to breathe new life into the town centres and make them the hearts of their communities once again. It is only when local authorities, businesses and communities work together to use the support and funding available that things will happen on the ground.
	These are long-term projects, and teams are taking a strategic approach that is consciously trying not to splurge all the funding awarded at once. Each plan to rejuvenate a high street will be different. Therefore the way, speed and manner that local teams spend money will be different. Moreover, town teams have leveraged additional funding from other sources including the local authority, in-kind support (such as premises) and free publicity. The Portas Pilots' local authorities are the accountable body responsible for spending, and we have not imposed performance management frameworks to monitor their spend patterns nor are we requiring them to provide assessments of the impact on local economic growth from this specific initiative, reflecting the fact that this Government are committed to reducing top-down reporting burdens on local government.
	Pilots up and down the country are already working together successfully and achieving results, from Rotherham helping local businesses expand and develop, to Loughborough bringing students and local residents on board with a loyalty scheme. But this is just the start, which is why I established the Future High Streets Forum, made up of leading figures from retail, property, business, academics, third sector, civil society and Government, to drive forward ideas and policies to help high streets adapt and compete.

Urban Areas

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the Portas Pilot (a) Round 1 and (b) Round 2 winners have been visited by (i) Government Ministers and (ii) Mary Portas as part of the Portas Pilot scheme co-ordinated by his Department.

Mark Prisk: Government Ministers committed to visiting the Round 2 pilots, and to date Ministers have visited four Round 1 and five Round 2 pilots. Further ministerial visits to Round 2 pilots are scheduled for the coming months.
	The Government have not co-ordinated visits by Mary Portas; these have been arranged independently by Mary Portas' team. Her team advises us that of the first 12 pilot towns chosen by the Government, all of them have been contacted by the Portas Agency to arrange a visit. To date Mary has visited eight Round 1 and one Round 2 pilots.

Urban Areas: Regeneration

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  when he expects to publish the progress report on the first round of Portas pilot projects;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of the success of the first round of Portas pilots.

Mark Prisk: A progress report on high streets was published in March 2013:
	http://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/168023/Future_of_High_Streets.pdf
	and a full report will be published in the summer.
	The Government have given the Round 1 Portas pilots a share of £1.2 million to spend as they see fit to improve their high streets and encourage residents to shop locally. The main aim of this scheme has been to harness the energy and enthusiasm of local people to breathe new life into the town centres and make them the hearts of their communities once again
	A lot has been achieved by the Portas pilots already, from Nelson bringing empty shops back into use, to Market Rasen creating an award-winning local market, and Bedminster successfully getting a Business Improvement District approved. These are pilots—they will have successes and failures that we will all learn from. The pilots were just the start, which is why I have also announced a Future High Streets Forurn,made up of leading figures from retail, property, business, academics, third sector, civil society and Government, to drive forward ideas and policies to help high streets thrive and prosper.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: East Midlands

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times are at each individual accident and emergency unit in the East Midlands.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the average waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) for national health services trusts in the East Midlands.
	
		
			 Mean and median duration to departure (in minutes)(1) for all A&E attendances(2) by hospital provider(3) in East Midlands Strategic Health Authority of Treatment, for 2011-12 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   2011-12 
			 Provider Code Provider Description Mean Median 
			 RFS Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 139 132 
			 RTG Derby Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 147 146 
			 RY8 Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trust 67 53 
			 RNQ Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 129 111 
			 RY5 Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust 59 47 
			 RNS Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust 148 137 
			 RX1 Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 145 137 
			 RK5 Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 137 130 
			 RWD United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust 141 125 
		
	
	
		
			 RWE University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust 142 130 
			 (1) Duration to Departure (in minutes): The time (expressed as a whole number of minutes) between the patients arrival and the time the A&E attendance has concluded and the department is no longer responsible for the care of the patient. (2) A&E Attendances: A&E Attendances in HES, relates to the number of recorded attendances. A&E attendances do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. HES A&E figures exclude planned follow up attendances. (3) Hospital Provider: A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS Trust or PCT). Data quality: A&E Hospital Episode Statistics are compiled from data submitted by more than 160 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Note: Provisional 2012-13 A&E data will be published in July 2013 and final data published October 2013. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Accident and Emergency Departments: East of England

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times are at each individual accident and emergency unit in East Anglia.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the average waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) for national health services trusts in the former East of England strategic health authority area.
	
		
			 Mean and median duration to departure (in minutes)(1) for all A&E attendances(2) by hospital provider(3) in East of England Strategic Health Authority of Treatment, for 2011-12 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector 
			   2011-12 
			 Provider Code Provider Description Mean Median 
			 RDD Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 193 187 
			 RC1 Bedford Hospital NHS Trust 143 136 
			 RGT Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 163 166 
			 RYV Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust 43 36 
			 NQ108 Clacton Hospital 45 37 
			 RDE Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust 141 132 
			 RWH East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust 147 137 
			 NQ106 Fryatt Hospital 39 31 
			 RQQ-X Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust 136 127 
			 RGQ Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust 147 142 
			 RGP James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 140 124 
			 RC9 Luton And Dunstable Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 162 162 
			 RQ8 Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust 157 151 
			 RM1 Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 143 136 
			 RGN Peterborough And Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 157 158 
			 RAJ Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 141 137 
			 5PT Suffolk PCT 30 25 
			 RQW The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust 166 161 
			 RCX The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, King's Lynn, NHS Foundation Trust 147 140 
			 RWG West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 130 119 
			 RGR West Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust 125 115 
			 (1) Duration to Departure (in minutes): The time (expressed as a whole number of minutes) between the patients arrival and the time the A&E attendance has concluded and the department is no longer responsible for the care of the patient. (2) A&E Attendances: A&E Attendances in HES, relates to the number of recorded attendances. A&E attendances do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. HES A&E figures exclude planned follow up attendances. (3) Hospital Provider: A provider code is a unique code that identifies an organisation acting as a health care provider (e.g. NHS Trust or PCT). Data quality: A&E Hospital Episode Statistics are compiled from data submitted by more than 160 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Note: Provisional 2012-13 A&E data will be published in July 2013 and final data published October 2013. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre

Accident and Emergency Departments: Kettering

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have waited more than four hours in accident and emergency at Kettering General Hospital in each month since May 2010.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Accident and emergency attendances with total time over four hours at Kettering General Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust by month, May 2010 to present 
			   Number of over four hour waits Number of weeks in month 
			     
			 2010-11 May 2010 367 4 
			  June 2010 31 4 
			  July 2010 618 5 
			  August 2010 316 (1)— 
			  September 2010 124 (1)— 
			  October 2010 152 (1)— 
			  November 2010 289 4 
			  December 2010 615 5 
			  January 2011 665 4 
			  February 2011 531 4 
			  March 2011 355 5 
			     
			 2011-12 April 2011 310 4 
			  May 2011 452 4 
			  June 2011 539 5 
			  July 2011 548 4 
			  August 2011 651 4 
			  September 2011 640 5 
			  October 2011 366 4 
			  November 2011 650 4 
			  December 2011 737 5 
			  January 2012 450 4 
			  February 2012 335 4 
			  March 2012 363 5 
			     
			 2012-13 April 2012 262 4 
			  May 2012 613 5 
			  June 2012 386 4 
			  July 2012 193 4 
			  August 2012 458 5 
			  September 2012 292 4 
			  October 2012 340 4 
			  November 2012 926 5 
			  December 2012 873 4 
			  January 2013 1,316 5 
			  February 2013 630 4 
			  March 2013 1,151 4 
			     
			 2013-14 April 2013 1,530 4 
			 (1) Calendar month. Note: Figures from weekly returns assigned months and hence do not represent a calendar month apart from August to October 2010. Source: Weekly situation reports, monthly situation reports (August to October 2010 only).

Accident and Emergency Departments: Kettering

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have used accident and emergency at Kettering General Hospital in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of demand for the service in each of the next five years.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is provided in the following table. Local national health service commissioners and providers are responsible for service planning to ensure that the local NHS continues to meet the needs of local communities.
	
		
			 Accident and emergency (A&E) attendances at Kettering General Hospitals NHS Trust 
			  Number of attendances 
			  Type 1 (major) A&E All types 
			 2008-09 63,925 18,430 
			 2009-10 66,784 19,187 
			 2010-11 67,557 14,651 
			 2011-12 69,679 15,381 
			 2012-13 73,799 12,293 
			 Source: QMAE quarterly return, weekly situation reports (11-12 onwards)

Accident and Emergency Departments: Kettering

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times Kettering General Hospital has issued public statements in which it urged people not to come to accident and emergency in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The information requested is not held centrally.

Accident and Emergency Departments: North West

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions the accident and emergency waiting time target has been breached in each hospital in the North West in the last 26 weeks for which information is available.

Anna Soubry: The information is not held in the format requested. The number of times the accident and emergency (A&E) waiting time standard (95% within four hours) has been missed in the last 26 weeks (11 November 2012 to 5 May 2013) for each NHS trust in the north-west is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 NHS trust Number of times the A&E standard was missed in the last 26 weeks 
			 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 0 
			 Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 16 
			 Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust 7 
			 Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 11 
			 Bolton NHS Foundation Trust 11 
			 Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust 0 
			 Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 14 
			 Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 10 
			 Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust 1 
			 East Cheshire NHS Trust 16 
		
	
	
		
			 East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust 17 
			 Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 16 
			 Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust 0 
			 Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust 0 
			 Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 9 
			 North Cumbria University Hospitals NHS Trust 21 
			 Oldham PCT Walk-in Centre 0 
			 Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust 11 
			 Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust 0 
			 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals NHS Trust 13 
			 Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust 14 
			 Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust 16 
			 St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust 12 
			 Stockport NHS Foundation Trust 23 
			 Tameside Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 19 
			 University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust 25 
			 University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust 18 
			 Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 10 
			 West Lancashire Healthcare Partnership Community CIC 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Wirral Community NHS Trust 0 
			 Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust 21 
			 Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust 8 
			 Note: A&E data are not held at hospital site level so data for the relevant hospital trust have been provided. Source: NHS England Unify2 Data Collection Weekly SiteRep

Anaemia

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Health in Scotland regarding the incidence of aplastic anaemia with idiopathic causes.

Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, and departmental officials have had no such discussions.

Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total running costs were for each building used, owned or rented in central London by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, other than for buildings primarily used for the provision of medical services, in each of the last three financial years.

Anna Soubry: The total running costs for each building used, owned or rented in central London by the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies, are identified in the following table.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Building Occupancy 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Wellington House Total Running Costs (broken down as follows) 2,055,364 2,686,616 2,441,854 
			  Department of Health(1) 2,033,785 2,588,073 1,689,032 
			  Monitor Not occupied Not occupied 395,432 
			  Cost of occupancy of other organisations(2) 21,579 98,543 357,390 
			      
			 Skipton House Total Running Costs (broken down as follows) 7,948,905 9,445,067 9695,207 
			  Department of Health(1) 7;468,609 8,595,955 7,439,014 
			  Health Research Authority Not occupied 54,733 368,871 
			  NHS Connecting for Health Not occupied 248,252 568,230 
			  National Treatment Agency 480,296 546,127 538,974 
			  Cost of occupancy of other organisations(2) Not occupied Not occupied 780,118 
			      
			 Richmond House Total Running Costs (broken down as follows) 3,134,108 3,710,542 3,987,125 
			  Department of Health(1) 3,134,108 3,692,933 3,956,592 
			  Cost of occupancy of other organisations(2) Not occupied 17,609 30,533 
			      
			 New Kings Beam House Department of Health 3,063,697 3,616,788 Building vacated 
			  Health and Social Care Information Centre 85,668 43,817 Building vacated 
			  NHS Connecting for Health 284,437 142,218 Building vacated 
		
	
	
		
			 22 Bloomsbury Street Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 716,918 239,000 Building vacated 
			      
			 151 Buckingham Palace Road Human Tissue Authority 199,030 483,355 516,356 
			  Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency 5,494,671 4,115,111 5,225,257 
			  NHS Litigation Authority 1,518,000 1,032,854 1,098,717 
			  Health Protection Agency 1,400,868 2,146,435 2,250,000 
			  Health and Social Care Information Centre Not occupied 26,000 34,000 
			      
			 Mid City Place National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) 2,358,000 2,315,000 (3)2,934,000 
			      
			 Tavistock House NHS Connecting for Health 176,452 178,114 180,990 
			      
			 Maple Street National Patient Safety Agency 1,239,396 Not occupied Not occupied 
			  Department of Health Not occupied 951,929 Not occupied 
			  NHS Commissioning Board Not occupied Not occupied 1,625,122 
			      
			 Matthew Parker Street Monitor 1,187,451 1,225,424 1,372,829 
			      
			 Holborn Gate Health Protection Agency 1,366,700 Building vacated — 
			      
			 Lower Marsh Health Protection Agency 78,660 114,462 114,462 
			      
			 Portland House Health Education England Not occupied Not occupied 193,804 
			      
			 Belgrave Road Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency 79,108 79,294 53,308 
			 (1) Costs exclude the charges made by the Department for collocation and other organisations occupancy in departmental buildings. (2) The charge by the Department for occupancy in departmental buildings based on a percentage of departmental running costs. These are NHS organisations and not departmental agencies or non-departmental public bodies (3) NICE moved from Mid-City Place in December 2012 to Spring Gardens and the costs for 2012-13 include the costs for Spring Gardens. Notes: 1. Central London has been defined as the following postcode areas, SW1, W1, WC1, WC2 and SE1. 2. The Department and its arm's length bodies aim to maximise the occupancy, of its estate in line with the national Property Controls. Wherever possible we encourage collocation and sharing of buildings. 3. The Department and its arm's length bodies aim to maximise the occupancy of its estate with in line with the national Property Controls. Wherever possible we encourage collocation and sharing of buildings.

Cancer

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS bodies are responsible for ensuring that the guidance on the management of low-risk basal cell carcinomas in the community published by NICE in 2011 is safely implemented.

Anna Soubry: The National Institute of Health and Care Excellence's cancer service guidance is not mandatory. It represents evidence-based best practice and we would expect national health service organisations to take it fully into account as they design services to meet the needs of patients. It is for NHS organisations to consider how best to implement the guidance safety.

Cancer

Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has allocated funding to treat newly-diagnosed NHS cancer patients who cannot access previously reimbursed cancer treatments following the transition of the Cancer Drugs Fund on 1 April 2013.

Norman Lamb: £200 million has been made available to the national health service in 2013-14 for the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Cancer: Clinical Commissioning Groups

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to support clinical commissioning groups to improve the experience of cancer patients in their area;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to address variations of care reported in the National Cancer Patient Experience survey.

Anna Soubry: The Mandate to NHS England requires it to deliver continued improvements in relation to patients' experience of care, including cancer care.
	The national report and 160 bespoke trust level reports from the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2011-12, published in August 2012, continue to support both clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and providers to drive and inform local service improvement. The trust level reports provide benchmarked data nationally and between teams, allowing providers to identify priority improvement areas and supporting CCGs to better commission high quality cancer services for local populations.
	Work on the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey 2012-13 is currently under way. It is anticipated that national and trust level reports will be published in summer 2013.
	More generally, NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ), the new NHS Improvement body, has made “ensuring that experience of care is central to commissioning and care delivery” one of its 10 key work programmes for 2013-14. NHS IQ will be working on the design and testing of an improvement framework for engaging, involving and improving experience of care; a capability building programme for commissioners and providers; and specific interventions to improve experience, such as the friends and family test.

Coeliac Disease

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the diagnosis of coeliac disease.

Norman Lamb: Clinical commissioning groups, as local commissioners have the primary responsibility for determining what steps are needed to improve the diagnosis of people with coeliac disease in their area.
	To support local commissioners, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a clinical guideline ‘Coeliac Disease: Recognition and Assessment of Coeliac Disease’ to help improve the recognition of coeliac disease and increase the number of people diagnosed with the condition.

Coeliac Disease

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to mark Coeliac Awareness Week.

Norman Lamb: Clinical commissioning groups are now responsible for commissioning services for people with coeliac disease.
	The Government recognise the importance of the disease and will continue to work with NHS England to drive improvements in the quality of services.

Defibrillators

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of ambulance vehicles were equipped with defibrillators in each of the last 30 years;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the availability and accessibility of defibrillators on survival rates for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests;
	(3)  what funding his Department has made available for the (a) purchase of defibrillators and (b) training of members of the public in their use.

Anna Soubry: Information on the proportion of ambulances equipped with defibrillators is not collected centrally.
	The Department has made no assessment of the availability and accessibility of defibrillators on survival rates for out of hospital cardiac arrests.
	The Department does not currently fund the purchase of defibrillators or the training of members of the public in the use of defibrillators. Ambulance trusts have had responsibility for sustaining the legacy of the National Defibrillator Programme since February 2007.

Drugs

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of supply of (a) loperamade and (b) trazodone; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb: Departmental officials have been in touch with a number of suppliers of loperamide capsules who have indicated that they have good stocks available.
	We are aware that there have been intermittent supply problems with trazodone. However, we understand that supplies have recently been released to the market with more expected later this month.

Drugs: Health Education

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what budget was available for public health education on the effects of legal highs in the last financial year;
	(2)  when he last reviewed the effectiveness of public health education and publicity on the effects of legal highs.

Anna Soubry: The FRANK drug information campaign provides young people and their families with advice and information about all drugs, including ‘legal highs’. The campaign is managed jointly by the Department of Health and the Home Office. We continually review the FRANK service to ensure that it provides effective and up to date information.
	The Home Office funds advertising to raise awareness of the FRANK service. The Department has funded and managed the FRANK service which comprises the helpline, email, SMS, live chat and website and on 1 April this responsibility passed to Public Health England.
	In 2012-13 the Department spent £0.9 million on the FRANK service. It is not possible to isolate the costs of providing information about legal highs. However in 2012, the Department launched a targeted campaign costing £21,000 to encourage parents to talk to their children about legal highs.

Electronic Cigarettes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward plans to restrict the marketing, sales and promotion of electronic cigarettes so that they (a) are only sold to adults at licensed outlets, (b) are only targeted at smokers as a way of reducing smoking or quitting and (c) do not appeal to non-smokers, particularly children.

Norman Lamb: There are a number of products on the market which claim to contain nicotine, such as electronic cigarettes, which are widely and easily available but are not licensed medicines. Currently, any nicotine containing product (NCP) that claims or implies that it can assist in giving up smoking is considered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to be a medicinal product. This approach has allowed NCPs which do not make such claims to be used and sold without the safeguards built into the regulation of medicines.
	The Government are concerned to ensure that an effective, proportionate regulatory framework exists to protect consumers from any electronic cigarette products that fail to meet acceptable standards for quality, safety and efficacy. The MHRA co-ordinated a programme of research to advise on:
	an investigation of the levels of nicotine which have a significant physiological effect through its pharmacological action;
	the nature, quality and safety of unlicensed NCPs;
	the actual use of unlicensed NCPs (excluding tobacco products) in the marketplace;
	the efficacy of unlicensed NCPs in smoking cessation; and
	modelling of the potential impact of bringing these products into medicines regulation on public health outcomes.
	The MHRA is currently bringing to a conclusion this period of scientific and market research with a view to a final decision on the application of medicines regulation soon.

Electronic Cigarettes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to extend existing smoking legislation in the UK to include vapour from electronic cigarettes.

Anna Soubry: While they contain nicotine, the majority of electronic cigarettes do not contain tobacco and so legislation that deals with tobacco does not apply.
	The Government have no plans to extend the current smokefree legislation. Smokefree legislation regulates being in possession of any lit substance in a form in which it could be smoked, regardless of whether it contains tobacco. Electronic cigarettes that are not lit and operate by creating a vapour would not be covered by the legislation. More research is needed to understand whether there are any risks to health associated with secondhand vapour from e-cigarettes.
	To gain a better understanding and inform future policy decisions on e-cigarettes, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is co-ordinating a period of scientific and market research. The Department will use the information to consider how public health can be protected and promoted.
	Meanwhile, we encourage smokers to use licensed nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, gum, inhalators, lozenges or mouth sprays, as the safest source of nicotine, in place of smoking.

Enfield

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding (a) his Department and (b) each of the non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible has allocated to the London borough of Enfield local authority in each of the last five years.

Anna Soubry: The funding given to each council under each yearly Local Government Finance Settlement is available online at:
	www.local.communities.gov.uk/
	In addition, the Department of Health has provided a number of grants and transfers to Enfield.
	In 2009-10, the Department provided a number of grants to Enfield for social care, totalling over £7.75 million. In 2010-11, the amount awarded to Enfield rose to over £8.4 million.
	From 2011-12, the majority of these grants were rolled into the Local Government Finance Settlement. However, local authorities took on a number of new responsibilities for social care, including for the commissioning of services for people with learning disabilities. Enfield also received a transfer from the national health service for social care with a health benefit, resulting in total funding of just over £9 million.
	In 2012-13, these funding streams continued, and Enfield again received over £9 million in departmental funding.
	For 2013-14, most of the former departmental grant money is to be allocated through the Department for Communities and Local Government's Business Rates Retention scheme. However, local authorities will take on responsibility for public health commissioning and the NHS will continue to transfer funding for social care with a health benefit. In total, Enfield will receive over £18.5 million from the Department in 2013-14.

Flour: Additives

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the mandatory fortification of bread and flour with key nutrients on individuals' health;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the fortification of bread and flour with key nutrients on the health of low income groups.

Anna Soubry: Since 1 April 2013, Public Health England became responsible for Nutrition Science including functions relating to the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN).
	During 2012, SACN conducted an assessment of the effect of removing the nutrients (iron, calcium, thiamin and niacin), which are currently added to bread and flour under the Bread and Flour Regulations.
	SACN concluded that without flour fortification the proportion of the population with inadequate intakes of these nutrients would increase, particularly so in relation to calcium and iron intakes in children, older girls and young adult population groups and that this may impact on health. The impact in low income groups is likely to be greater as these groups tend to have lower intakes of these nutrients and consume more bread than compared with the general population.
	Prior to this in 2009, SACN had provided the Department with updated advice on the issue of folic acid, concluding that fortification of flour with folic acid would reduce the risk of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects.

Flour: Additives

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the report of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on the potential nutritional effects of repealing the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects of repealing the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 on the National Health Service.

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect on (a) public health and (b) the cost of health services arising from revocation of the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998.

Anna Soubry: The Department of Health asked the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) to conduct an assessment of the effects on nutritional status of removing the nutrients (iron, calcium, thiamin and niacin), which are currently added to bread and flour under the Bread and Flour Regulations.
	SACN's assessment established that without flour fortification the proportion of the population with inadequate intakes of these nutrients would increase, particularly so in relation to calcium and iron intakes in children, older girls and young adult population groups and that this could impact on health. The impact in low income groups is likely to be greater as these groups tend to have lower intakes of these nutrients and consume more bread than compared with the general population.
	There is limited information about the effect of repeal on the national health service. Any potential changes to the current nutritional status of particularly vulnerable groups of the population as a result of repeal would require mitigation through ongoing advice on balanced diets and consideration of targeted advice at a local level.
	The Department will be working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure that all relevant available evidence is considered as part of deliberations on the recent public consultation on repeal of the Bread and Flour Regulations.

Health Services

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of savings to his Department's budget in 2013-14 as a result of the abolition of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.

Daniel Poulter: The revised impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill (now the Health and Social Care Act 2012) published in September 2011, set out a revised trajectory of how the Department planned to implement the required one-third reduction in total administration costs over the period 2010-11 to 2014-15.
	The total administration budget set for 2013-14 is £3,167 million, which is £386 million lower than the estimate in the impact assessment. As savings are measured at total administration cost level, it is not possible to specifically attribute a figure to the abolition of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.

Health Services

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of savings accrued to his Department as a result of the reduction in size of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts in each year since 2010-11.

Daniel Poulter: The revised impact assessment for the Health and Social Care Bill (now the Health and Social Care Act 2012), published in September 2011, set out a revised trajectory of how the Department planned to implement the required one-third reduction in total administration costs over the period 2010-11 to 2014-15.
	Out-turn for administration costs published in Notes Six and Seven of the Department's annual report and accounts 2011-12 was £3,307 million, which is £662 million lower than the estimate in the impact assessment. The administration out-turn for 2012-13 will be published in the 2012-13 annual report and accounts in July 2013.

Health Services: EU Nationals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the additional cost to the NHS as a result of use by Romanian and Bulgarian nationals over the next three years.

Anna Soubry: The Department has not made an assessment of such additional costs to the national health service.
	The United Kingdom can claim back the cost of treating European Economic Area (EEA) nationals visiting or studying in the United Kingdom and for providing healthcare to EEA pensioners who reside here, from their home member state. However we will be consulting in the summer on how the NHS can become more effective at identifying those who are not entitled to free healthcare and claiming money back from them.
	EEA nationals working, and paying taxes here, are entitled to free NHS hospital treatment.

Health Services: West Midlands

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult congenital heart disease services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) being treated by such services and (ii) expected to be treated by such services in the financial year 2013-14 in each such area;
	(2)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult highly specialist respiratory services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) being treated by such services and (ii) expected to be treated by such services in the financial year 2013-14 in each such area;
	(3)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult highly specialist pain management services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) being created by such services and (ii) expected to be treated by such services in the financial year 2013-14 in each such area;
	(4)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult highly specialist rheumatology services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) being treated by such services and (ii) expected to be treated by such services in the financial year 2013-14 in each such area;
	(5)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist vascular services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) being treated by such services and (ii) expected to be treated by such services in the financial year 2013-14 in each such area;
	(6)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) what budget he has for the commissioning of specialised services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent, and (vi) South Staffordshire in the year ending 31 March 2014, (b) what the budget was in each such area for the year ending 31 March 2013 and (c) what the budget was per head of population in each such area in each financial year;
	(7)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget he plans to set for the commissioning of adult ataxia telangiectasia services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) being treated and (ii) expected to be treated by such services in financial year 2013-14 in each such area;
	(8)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of Barth syndrome services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ended 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) receiving treatment and (ii) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year for each such area;
	(9)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of Behcet's syndrome services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ended 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year for each such area;
	(10)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of Bardet-Biedl syndrome services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (i) receiving treatment and (ii) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year for each such area;
	(11)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of autologous intestinal reconstruction services for adults in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(12)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of Alstrom syndrome services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(13)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of alkaptonuria services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(14)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult thoracic services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(15)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist services for patients infected with HIV in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(16)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist renal services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(17)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist orthopaedic services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(18)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome with macroglossia services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(19)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist pulmonary hypertension services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(20)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist opthalmology services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(21)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist neurosciences services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(22)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist intestinal failure services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(23)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist endocrinology services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(24)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist eating disorder services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(25)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of adult specialist cardiac services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(26)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of ataxia telengiectasia services for children in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area;
	(27)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) his anticipated budget for the commissioning of autoimmune paediatric gut syndromes services in (i) Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area, (ii) Shropshire, (iii) Staffordshire, (iv) North Staffordshire, (v) Stoke-on-Trent and (vi) South Staffordshire for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of patients (A) receiving treatment and (B) for which treatment has been budgeted in that year in each such area.

Anna Soubry: The Shropshire and Staffordshire area team does not hold a budget for specialised commissioning.
	NHS England is responsible for commissioning specialised services. The prime objective of NHS England is to drive improvement in the quality of the NHS services, and the Government will hold them to account for this through the NHS Mandate.
	NHS England is implementing a single operating model for the commissioning of 143 specialised services. This replaces the previous arrangements whereby 10 regional organisations were responsible for commissioning specialised services and where there was wide variation in the range, quality and access to specialised services that were commissioned.
	Single nationally agreed service specifications are being developed for each of the 143 services to ensure that patients have equitable access to high quality services, regardless of where they live in England.

Health Services: West Midlands

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish (a) the administration budget for the Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS Area Team for the year ending 31 March 2014 and (b) the number of staff in that team.

Anna Soubry: NHS England advise me that the full administration budget for the NHS England Shropshire and Staffordshire Area Team has not yet been finalised. However, they also advise that the pay budget has been set at £4.6 million, excluding Family Health Services staff. There are 74.5 full-time equivalent staff in the team, excluding Family Health Services staff.

Health Services: West Midlands

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to (a) publish the current eligibility criteria for bariatric surgery in Shropshire and Staffordshire NHS area; and (b) state whether there are any differences in such criteria in any of the sub-areas governed by different clinical commissioning groups in that NHS area.

Anna Soubry: NHS England is now responsible for commissioning severe and complex obesity services including surgery. NHS. England's 'Clinical Commissioning Policy on Complex and Specialised Obesity Surgery' states that it will commission complex and specialised surgery as a treatment for selected patients with severe and complex obesity that have not responded to all other non-invasive therapies, in accordance with the criteria outlined in this policy.
	‘Clinical Commissioning Policy on Complex and Specialised Obesity Surgery’ has been placed in the Library.

Health: Unemployment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of unemployment on levels of wellbeing.

Norman Lamb: Evidence shows that work is generally good for health and good for people who have mental health conditions. Returning to work can be therapeutic and can address the adverse health effects of unemployment.
	Employment is an important determinant of mental health and wellbeing and is an important factor in improving the quality of life for people with mental health problems.
	The Department for Work and Pensions recently published the National Study of Work-search and Wellbeing, a large-scale study on the extent of mental health conditions among claimants of jobseeker's allowance. This showed that more than one in five people who claimed jobseeker's allowance for six months had a common mental health condition compared with one in six of those who moved off jobseeker's allowance before six months. Evidence published as part of the study also shows that the likelihood of having a common mental health condition increased with the number of years out of work.

Heart Diseases

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occurred in each of the last 30 years; and what the survival rates were of such cardiac arrests in (a) England and (b) each local authority area in England in each such year.

Anna Soubry: This information is not collected centrally.
	In the “Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes Strategy”, published in March 2013 an estimate was made that about 50,000 out of hospital cardiac arrests occur each year in England. The overall average rate of survival to hospital discharge was estimated to be 7%. This figure reflects the fact that resuscitation is not always possible following a cardiac arrest.

Herbal Medicine

Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on implementing a statutory register of herbal medicine practitioners; and when he expects such a register to be in place.

Daniel Poulter: The legislation around this policy is complex and there are a number of issues that have arisen which we need to work through. We appreciate that the delay in going out to consult on this matter is causing concern, however it is important that any new legislation is proportionate and fit for purpose.
	The Department intends to make an announcement on the progress of this policy shortly.

In Vitro Fertilisation: West Midlands

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of patients whose applications for treatment by in vitro fertilisation and related fertility services had previously been refused received treatment funded by North Staffordshire PCT in the year ending 31 March 2013;
	(2)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of (a) patients and (b) GPs whose applications for in vitro fertilisation treatment had previously been refused were contacted by (i) North Staffordshire PCT or (ii) North Staffordshire Clinical Commissioning Group following the adoption of the new Infertility and Assisted Reproduction Commissioning Policy and Eligibility Criteria;
	(3)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the amount that was (a) budgeted and (b) spent on in vitro fertilisation and associated fertility services by (i) North Staffordshire PCT, (ii) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (iii) South Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ending 31 March (A) 2010, (B) 2011, (C) 2012 and (D) 2013 to date;
	(4)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of appeals made under the exceptionality procedures by patients whose applications for in vitro fertilisation treatment were refused by (a) North Staffordshire PCT, (b) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (c) South Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ending 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013; and to publish the number of such appeals to each such body in each such year which were successful;
	(5)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of patients whose applications for intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment were refused by (a) North Staffordshire PCT, (b) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (c) South Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ended 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(6)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of patients whose applications for inter uterine insemination treatment were refused by (a) North Staffordshire PCT, (b) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (c) Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ended 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(7)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of patients whose applications for in vitro fertilisation treatment were refused by (a) North Staffordshire PCT, (b) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (c) Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ended 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(8)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of patients who received intra-uterine insemination treatment through (a) North Staffordshire PCT, (b) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (c) South Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ended 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(9)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of patients who received intracytoplasmic sperm injection treatment through (a) North Staffordshire PCT, (b) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (c) South Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ended 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013;
	(10)  if he will direct the Area Director of NHS England in Shropshire and Staffordshire to publish the number of patients who received in vitro fertilisation treatment through (a) North Staffordshire PCT, (b) Stoke-on-Trent PCT and (c) South Staffordshire PCT in the financial year ended 31 March (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

Anna Soubry: We have no plans to direct NHS England to publish the information requested. We understand that the NHS England Area Director for Shropshire and Staffordshire has written to local hon. Members about the new commissioning arrangements for health care.

Kidneys

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mortality rates in hospital as a result of acute kidney injury were in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: This information is not available in the format requested. Information concerning the number of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a primary or secondary diagnosis of acute renal failure and acute kidney injury according to whether they were alive or dead at the end of the hospital spell for 2011-12 has been placed in the following table.
	
		
			 A count of finished admission episodes(1 )with a primary or secondary diagnosis(2) of acute renal failure and acute kidney injury(3) according to whether they were alive or dead(4) at the end of the hospital spell(5) for 2011-12 
			  Status of patients at end of spell 
			 Primary or secondary diagnosis Alive Dead Unknown 
			 Acute renal failure 114,495 36,501 456 
			 Acute Kidney Injury 1,116 62 2 
			 (1) An FAE is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary .diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (3) Acute Renal Failure/Acute Kidney Injury ICD10 codes N17.0 Acute renal failure with tubular necrosis N17.1 Acute renal failure with acute cortical necrosis N17.2 Acute renal failure with medullary necrosis N17.8 Other acute renal failure N17.9 Acute renal failure, unspecified O90.4 Postpartum acute renal failure S37.0 Injury of kidney (4) HES data cannot be used to determine the cause of death of a patient while in hospital. Deaths may be analysed by the main diagnosis for which the patient was being treated but this may not be the underlying cause of death. For example, a patient admitted for a hernia operation (with a primary diagnosis of hernia) may die from an unrelated heart attack. The Office for National Statistics collects information on the cause of death, wherever it occurs, based on the death certificate and should be the source of data for analyses on cause of death. (5) This field contains a code which defines the circumstances under which a patient left hospital. For the majority of patients this is when they are discharged by the consultant. This field is only completed for the last episode in a spell. Alive: Discharged on clinical advice or with clinical consent Self discharged, or discharged by a relative or advocate Discharged by a mental health review tribunal, the Secretary of State for the Home Department or a court Dead: Died Baby was still born Unknown: Not known—a validation error Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre. Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.

Kidneys

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to support the implementation of the forthcoming clinical guideline on acute kidney injury to be published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in 2013.

Norman Lamb: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) currently expects to publish its clinical guideline on the prevention, detection and management of acute kidney injury up to the point of renal replacement therapy in August 2013.
	NHS England and NICE share the objectives of facilitating high quality care and improved outcomes for patients, while guiding practitioners and those who support them in delivering effective and cost effective care. The two organisations have a partnership agreement in place and will work together to enhance the dissemination and adoption of NICE guidance and quality standards.
	For instance, NHS England may provide and publish benchmarking information to help local systems understand their current performance and both organisations can make available a range of tools to support the commissioning and implementation process.

Mental Illness: Surveys

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the next adult psychiatric morbidity survey will be completed.

Norman Lamb: The Department and the Health and Social Care Information Centre are currently discussing plans for the next survey, which should take place in 2014.

Mental Illness: Veterans

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with his Scottish counterparts on strategies to (a) prevent and (b) alleviate mental health issues among veterans.

Daniel Poulter: Department of Health officials work closely with their Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish counterparts through the Ministry of Defence/UK Departments of Health Partnership Board that meets regularly. The board agrees how to tackle health issues for serving members of the armed forces and veterans across the UK. Following the report by Dr Murrison ‘Fighting Fit’ departmental officials have been in regular contact with those from Scotland to discuss the veterans' mental health recommendations made by Dr Murrison.
	Services funded by the Department in response to Dr Murrison's report to help tackle mental health issues amongst veterans include Big White Wall—an on-line counselling service. The Department and Ministry of Defence fund this service (with additional funding from Help for Heroes) for those currently serving, veterans and their respective families. More than 2,400 are using this service. Working with Combat Stress and Rethink the Department has also put in place a 24-hour veterans' mental health helpline. Both of these initiatives are available to those outside of England, including Scottish veterans and their families.

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he holds on the cost of treating foreign nationals at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last four years.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not hold information on costs incurred by the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust through treating overseas visitors in the years given.
	Information on debts written off in relation to overseas visitors may be available from the Foundation Trust direct. However, it should be noted that data relating to overseas visitors might include United Kingdom nationals visiting from overseas as well as foreign nationals who are either visiting the UK or residing here without permission. In addition, the true cost to the national health service is not limited to the debts the NHS has to absorb but also the cost of treating those overseas visitors, including foreign nationals, who are exempt from charge under regulations and so funded by commissioners, and the provision of free primary care to all overseas visitors.

Organs

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his policy is on organ allocation;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of variations in organ allocation policies across NHS trusts in England and Wales.

Anna Soubry: The organ allocation system in place works on a United Kingdom-wide basis. It ensures that patients are treated equitably and that donated organs are allocated in a fair and unbiased way. The offering process for organs donated in the UK is specified in NHS Directions given to NHS Blood and Transplant by the Secretary of State for Health, specifically in paragraph four of the NHS Blood and Transplant (2005) Directions and associated guidance. (The Directions can be found at:
	www.organdonation.nhs.uk
	then enter search item “2005 Directions” and click on the first result). The allocation schemes have been developed by the medical profession in consultation with the Department and specialist advisory groups and there are specific allocation systems in place for each type of organ.
	It is the remit of NHS Blood and Transplant, as the national retrieval and allocation organisation for the UK, to offer organs for transplant. Organs from deceased donors in the UK are considered a national resource.
	The schemes prioritise patients with the most urgent need and also take into account factors which influence the chances of a successful transplant, including the age of the donor and recipient, blood and tissue type, physical characteristics (such as height and weight) and the location of the recipient relative to the donor. Transplants are more likely to be successful if undertaken as quickly as possible after retrieval.

Organs

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the proportion of hospital trusts that receive donated organs which allocate donor organs to other trusts;
	(2)  what procedures are in place to enable foundation trusts to (a) offer and (b) access donated organs from other foundation trusts.

Anna Soubry: No estimate has been made of the proportion of hospital trusts that receive donated organs which allocate organs to other trusts.
	The allocation system in place works on a United Kingdom-wide basis and whether a trust is a foundation trust or otherwise has no bearing. There are 28 hospitals in the UK that are licensed to perform solid organ transplants and some of these hospitals transplant more than one type of organ. Organs for transplant in these hospitals are retrieved from over 200 hospitals throughout the UK.
	The allocation systems in place ensure that patients are treated equitably and that donated organs are allocated in a fair and unbiased way. It is the remit of NHS Blood and Transplant, as the national retrieval and allocation organisation for the UK, to offer organs for transplant in line with directions given to them by the Secretary of State for Health.

Organs: Scotland

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Cabinet Secretary for Health in the Scottish Government regarding cross-border organ allocation.

Anna Soubry: No discussions have taken place with the Cabinet Secretary for Health in the Scottish Government regarding cross-border organ allocation.
	The organ allocation system in place works on a United Kingdom-wide basis and organs are regularly transported within the UK. This ensures that patients are treated equitably and that donated organs are allocated in a fair and unbiased way based on the patient's need, and the importance of achieving the closest possible match between donor and recipient. The rules for allocating organs donated in the UK are determined by the medical profession in consultation with other health professionals, the Department and specialist advisory groups. The offering process is specified in NHS Directions given to NHS Blood and Transplant by the Secretary of State for Health, specifically in paragraph four of the NHS Blood and Transplant (2005) Directions and associated guidance.

Pay

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment to an official in his Department; what the process is for clawing back such bonuses; and on how many occasions this has happened in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department does not issue specific guidance on the actions that would result in the suspension or removal of a bonus payment for an official.
	However the withdrawal or withholding of performance related pay (which includes nonconsolidated performance related payments) is a potential sanction in disciplinary proceedings.
	In the last five years the Department has not removed or suspended any non consolidated performance related payments to its officials.

Publications

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on subscriptions to academic journals published by (a) Reed-Elsevier, (b) Wiley-Blackwell, (c) Springer and (d) any other academic publisher in each of the last five years.

Daniel Poulter: The Department's spend on academic journals over the last five years is as follows (given as calendar years to align with subscriptions). Answers are given for any and all known imprints of the requested publishers.
	
		
			 £ 
			  2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 
			 Reed-Elsevier 23,650 27,823.71 20,235.46 21,6120.09 16,350.75 
			 Wiley-Blackwell 14,891.80 17,887.43 17,206.53 18,459.37 17,281.19 
			 Springer 5,054.89 5,576.69 4,628.16 4,999.86 4,537.55 
			 Other 109,894.65 111,472.53 80,124.35 87,950.56 60,236.24

Transplant Surgery: Waiting Lists

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of people on waiting lists who receive organ transplants in (i) North West England, (ii) Stretford and Urmston constituency and (iii) England.

Anna Soubry: The information can be found in the following table. Care should be taken when interpreting percentages based on small numbers.
	Although no period of time is specified in the question, figures in the table cover new registrations over a three year period 2008-09 to 2010-11. This is because numbers of registrations and transplants for the Stretford and Urmston constituency are low and looking at a three year period allows for meaningful comparisons to be drawn.
	
		
			 Number of new registrants to the organ donor waiting list and transplants in North West England, Stretford and Urmston and England by organ in 2008-11 
			 Organ Strategic health authority area New registrations(1) Transplants(2) Proportion(3) (percentage) 
			 Kidney(4) North West 1,034 757 73.21 
			  Stretford and Urmston 15 13 86.67 
			  England 7,788 6,244 80.17 
		
	
	
		
			 Pancreas(5) North West 83 50 60.24 
			  Stretford and Urmston 1 0 0.00 
			  England 771 517 67.06 
			      
			 Heart(6) North West 71 42 59.15 
			  Stretford and Urmston 2 2 (3)100.00 
			  England 491 318 64.77 
			      
			 Lung(7) North West 82 58 70.73 
			  Stretford and Urmston 1 3 (3)300.00 
			  England 531 378 71.19 
			      
			 Liver(8) North West 290 189 65.17 
			  Stretford and Urmston 5 3 60.00 
			  England 2,393 1,576 65.86 
			 (1) New registrations to the organ donor waiting list between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2011. (2) Transplants which took place between 1 April 2008 and 31 March 2011. (3) Not all of the transplants that took place in the period will have been for people who were added to the waiting list in that period, additionally some people who were added to the waiting list during the period will have had transplants after. (4)( )Kidney only registrations (5) Pancreas only and kidney/pancreas registrations (6) Heart only transplants (7) Lung only transplants (8) Liver only transplants Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Transplant Surgery: Waiting Lists

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients on an organ transplant waiting list in each region of England waited more than (a) six months, (b) 12 months and (c) 18 months for each type of organ transplanted in the latest period for which figures are available.

Anna Soubry: The information requested can be found in the following table. Care should be taken when interpreting percentages based on small numbers.
	
		
			 Table: Patients registered on the United Kingdom organ transplant list waiting six, 12 and 18 months for an organ transplant by organ and English region, 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2011 
			  Strategic health authority area(1) New registrations Still waiting six months(1) Still waiting 12 months(1) Still waiting at 18 months(1) 
			    No. % No. % No. % 
			 Kidney(2) North East 308 252 81.8 199 79.0 155 50.3 
			  North West 1,034 908 87.8 771 84.9 667 64.5 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 678 594 87.6 528 88.9 443 65.3 
			  East Midlands 736 634 86.1 557 87.9 487 66.2 
			  West Midlands 939 828 88.2 752 90.8 668 71.1 
			  East of England 740 594 80.3 462 77.8 374 50.5 
			  London 1,591 1,396 87.7 1,237 88.6 1,092 68.6 
			  South East Coast 470 406 86.4 348 85.7 318 67.7 
			  South Central 577 518 89.8 436 84.2 371 64.3 
			  South West 715 620 86.7 518 83.5 444 62.1 
			  England 7,788 6,750 86.7 5,808 86.0 5,019 64.4 
			          
			 Pancreas(3) North East 35 26 74.3 21 80.8 12 34.3 
			  North West 83 65 78.3 58 89.2 45 54.2 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 44 33 75.0 27 81.8 23 52.3 
			  East Midlands 59 35 59.3 26 74.3 20 33.9 
			  West Midlands 83 66 79.5 61 92.4 52 62.7 
			  East of England 91 47 51.6 34 72.3 23 25.3 
			  London 104 62 59.6 50 80.6 36 34.6 
			  South East Coast 54 38 70.4 26 68.4 13 24.1 
		
	
	
		
			  South Central 83 67 80.7 61 91.0 50 60.2 
			  South West 135 89 65.9 72 80.9 58 43.0 
			  England 771 528 68.5 436 82.6 332 43.1 
			          
			 Heart(4) North East 44 13 29.5 11 84.6 10 22.7 
			  Northwest 71 20 28.2 13 65.0 8 11.3 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 47 19 40.4 13 68.4 8 17.0 
			  East Midlands 40 12 30.0 8 66.7 5 12.5 
			  West Midlands 69 16 23.2 10 62.5 8 11.6 
			  East of England 54 18 33.3 12 66.7 6 11.1 
			  London 57 20 35.1 15 75.0 11 19.3 
			  South East Coast 43 13 30.2 7 53.8 6 14.0 
			  South Central 36 13 36.1 8 61.5 7 19.4 
			  South West 30 10 33.3 7 70.0 6 20.0 
			  England 491 154 31.4 104 67.5 75 15.3 
			          
			 Lung(5) North East 36 13 36.1 9 69.2 6 16.7 
			  North West 82 51 62.2 33 64.7 19 23.2 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 56 24 42.9 14 58.3 10 17.9 
			  East Midlands 45 24 53.3 10 41.7 6 13.3 
			  West Midlands 59 26 44.1 14 53.8 8 13.6 
			  East of England 82 30 36.6 15 50.0 9 11.0 
			  London 51 30 58.8 14 46.7 8 15.7 
			  South East Coast 35 12 34.3 6 50.0 3 8.6 
			  South Central 41 19 46.3 12 63.2 9 22.0 
			  South West 44 22 50.0 11 50.0 6 13.6 
			  England 531 251 47.3 138 55.0 84 15.8 
			          
			 Liver(6) North East 167 57 34.1 32 56.1 19 11.4 
			  North West 290 100 34.5 57 57.0 27 9.3 
			  Yorkshire and The Humber 248 77 31.0 41 53.2 17 6.9 
			  East Midlands 154 32 20.8 16 50.0 11 7.1 
			  West Midlands 253 47 18.6 19 40.4 11 4.3 
			  East of England 279 75 26.9 28 37.3 11 3.9 
			  London 440 136 30.9 65 47.8 29 6.6 
			  South East Coast 190 39 20.5 21 53.8 7 3.7 
			  South Central 179 54 30.2 27 50.0 13 7.3 
			  South West 193 66 34.2 31 47.0 10 5.2 
			  England 2,393 683 28.5 337 49.3 155 6.5 
			 (1 )Regions are based on strategic health authority areas (2 )Kidney only registrations (3 )Pancreas only and kidney/pancreas registrations (4 )Heart only transplants (5 )Lung only transplants (6 )Liver only transplants Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Tuberculosis

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is currently being commissioned by his Department into tuberculosis.

Daniel Poulter: The Department is funding a wide range of research on tuberculosis through the National Institute for Health Research and the Policy Research Programme and has no current calls for proposals for research on specific aspects of this disease.
	Current research includes a £2 million programme of research on improving the management and control of tuberculosis among hard to reach groups, and a £1.7 million study of interferon gamma tests for the rapid identification of active tuberculosis disease.

Video Games

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of addiction to computer games have been recorded in the NHS in each of the last five years.

Norman Lamb: This is information is not collected centrally.

Video Games

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has issued any guidance on the maximum amount of time that individuals should spend in front of computer or television screens each day.

Anna Soubry: The Department has not issued any guidance on the maximum amount of time that individuals should spend in front of computer or television screens each day.

Video Games

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effects of computer game addiction on children and young people's mental health.

Norman Lamb: The Department has made no such assessment.

Warrington Hospital

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been treated in the accident and emergency department of Warrington Hospital in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of the number of patients who are likely to require treatment at that department in each of the next five years.

Anna Soubry: The information is not held in the format requested. The total accident and emergency attendances for Warrington and Halton NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years 2008-09 to 2012-13 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Total A&E attendances 
			 2008-09 91,548 
			 2009-10 94,168 
			 2010-11 98,114 
			 2011-12 99,778 
			 2012-13 101,375 
			 Notes: 1. A&E data are not held at hospital site level so data for the relevant hospital trust have been provided. 2. Estimates of future A&E attendances are not collected by the Department. Source: NHS England 2008-09 to 2010-11 Unify2 Data Collection QMAE and 2011-12 to 2012-13 Unify2 Data Collection Weekly SiteRep

WORK AND PENSIONS

Child Poverty

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of children expected to be living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty in each of the next 10 years.

Esther McVey: The Child Poverty Act 2010 sets four income-based UK-wide targets to be met by 2020, including the proportion of children living in households with relative low income and absolute low income.
	The number of children in poverty based on relative and absolute measures for 2010-11, the most recent period for which figures are available, can be found in the Households Below Average Income series published at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai/hbai2011/index.php?page=contents
	The Government do not publish forecasts of the number of children living in income poverty. The number of children in poverty is dependent on a number of factors which cannot be reliably predicted, including the median income.
	Income matters but considering this in isolation fails to properly reflect the reality of child poverty in the UK today. The most recent figures showed that 300,000 children moved out of relative income poverty. In fact, this was caused by a fall in the median income. For such children, life remained the same: disadvantage continued to limit aspiration and they were no better off. We have recently consulted on developing better measurements of child poverty, which include income but provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty. We are now analysing the responses to that consultation, and will publish our conclusions in the summer.

Disability Living Allowance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many disability living allowance claimants are in work.

Esther McVey: Disability living allowance is a benefit that can be claimed both in and out of work and as a result the Department does not routinely collect information on a employment status during the claim process.
	However, the Department has previously published analysis estimating the employment rate of DLA claimants aged 16 to 64, using the Family Resources Survey which can be found here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/adhoc_analysis/2011/analysis_of_disability_living_allowance_DLA_awards.pdf

Employment and Support Allowance: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Scotland were underpaid employment and support allowance as a result of error by his Department in each of the last three years; and what the total sum underpaid was in each such year.

Mark Hoban: The information is not available in the format requested.

G4S

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current level of expenditure by his Department is on contracts with G4S; and how much was spent by his Department on contracts with G4S in each year since 2008.

Mark Hoban: The total amount of expenditure by the Department to G4S (and Group 4 before they merged with Securicor in 2010-11) in each financial year since 2007-08 is detailed in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Merged supplier name Spend (£) 
			 2007-08 Group 4 102,973 
			 2008-09 Group 4 70,703 
			 2009-10 Group 4 129,099 
			 2010-11 Group 4 Securicor (G4S) 80,293 
			 2011-12 Group 4 Securicor (G4S) 13,789,498 
			 2012-13 G4S Group 32,122,741 
		
	
	G4S were awarded a Work programme contract in 2011-12 which accounts for the large increase in expenditure in the last two financial years.

Homelessness

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet homelessness organisations to assess the effectiveness of the toolkit for identification of homelessness by Jobcentre Plus advisers.

Mark Hoban: There is no specific toolkit for the identification of homelessness. However, Jobcentre Plus advisers are equipped with the necessary guidance and training to identify and provide an appropriate level of tailored support for the homeless, as well as other disadvantaged groups. As a priority group, the homeless are able to access additional support through Jobcentre Plus advisers to enter employment, including early access to the Work programme. The guidance which supports Jobcentre Plus advisers is subject to regular review to ensure its effectiveness for helping to tackle homelessness and the barriers it creates to employment.

Housing Benefit: Greater London

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of how the allocation of discretionary housing payments in respect of the benefit cap reflects the effect of higher rents in London; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: An additional £65 million funding towards discretionary housing payment (DHP) was made available in 2013-14 to provide short-term support to those affected by the benefit cap. Of these additional funds 90% was allocated based on the estimated volumes of cases geographically, weighted to account for amount that the households lose due to the cap.
	Based on this method an equivalent household living in a high rent area would represent a greater weight in allocation of DHP funds. Therefore local authorities within which these households fall were allocated greater amounts towards DHPs.
	The remaining funds were allocated uniformly for preventative work and to account for differing supply-side issues.

Pay

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether staff employed by Telereal Trillium in his Department's premises in Leeds are paid the living wage of £7.45 per hour.

Mark Hoban: Telereal Trillium employees, and their contractors based in Leeds at DWP buildings are as follows:
	Telereal Trillium: all staff are paid above the living wage rate.
	Telereal Trillium cleaners: paid at, or in excess of, the minimum wage rate. Some staff will be paid in excess of the living wage rate.
	Telereal Trillium catering staff: paid at, or in excess of, the minimum wage rate. Some staff will be paid in excess of the living wage rate.
	Telereal Trillium furniture suppliers and porters: all staff are paid in excess of the living wage rate.
	Telereal Trillium maintenance engineers: all staff are paid in excess of the living wage rate.
	Telereal Trillium security guards: public facing guards are paid in excess of the living wage rate. Non-public facing guards are paid in excess of the minimum wage.

Personal Independence Payment

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department will undertake unannounced and anonymous mystery shopper visits at new assessment centres for personal independence payments.

Esther McVey: Personal independence payment (PIP) assessments will take place in existing healthcare centres, at claimants' homes and in specific PIP assessment centres. All assessment centres must meet the Department's published requirements for accessibility, security, travel time and claimant experience. DWP is visiting a sample of these centres to ensure these requirements are being met. In addition, we are seeking feedback from claimants and the companions they are encouraged to bring to their assessment.

Disabled Children: Poverty

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of disabled children living in poverty in Bassetlaw constituency.

Esther McVey: It is not possible to provide figures for Bassetlaw due to small sample sizes. In 2010-11 across the UK there were 100,000 disabled children living in families with below 60% of relative median income, Before Housing Costs. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000. Low income figures are published annually in the Households below Average Income publication available here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=hbai
	The Government launched a consultation on measuring child poverty on 15 November 2012. The consultation sought views on changing the way child poverty is measured to ensure accurate measurement of the number of children affected in the UK. The Government believe that, in addition to median income, it is important to take other elements into account, such as housing and health. The consultation closed on the 15 February 2013. The responses to the consultation are currently being analysed, and the Government's response will be published in the, summer.

Disabled Children: Poverty

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effects of tax and benefit reforms implemented since 2010 on levels of child poverty.

Esther McVey: I refer the hon. Member to the answers to questions 135069 on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 312W, 135070 on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 313W, and 135071 on 9 January 2013, Official Report, column 313W.
	The Government do not believe that measuring income in isolation captures the reality of poverty in the UK, which is why they have consulted on better measures of child poverty. We will publish our response to that consultation in the summer.

Social Security Benefits: Veterans

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many former service personnel who have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan are in receipt of work-related benefits;
	(2)  how many former service personnel who have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan are in receipt of disability-related benefits.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.

State Retirement Pensions

Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people will be affected by the planned increase in the number of qualifying years needed to gain a full state pension due to take place in April 2016.

Steve Webb: Under the current system, 30 qualifying years of paid or credited national insurance contributions are required for a full basic state pension, currently £110.15 a week. Additional state pension entitlement is based on national insurance contributions paid or credited over the full course of working life.
	Entitlement to the full amount of the single-tier pension, assumed to be £144 a week, (in 2012-13 earnings terms, as detailed in the Single Tier Impact Assessment) will be based on a test of 35 qualifying years of national insurance contributions or credits. It is estimated that around 85% of people reaching state pension age in 2020 will have at least 35 qualifying years. It is estimated around 5% of people reaching state pension age in 2020 will have between 30 and 35 qualifying years.
	Where someone does not have the full 35 years needed for the full single-tier pension, they will receive a pension that is pro rata to this amount according to the number of qualifying years that they have built up, subject to them satisfying the Minimum Qualifying Period of between seven and 10 years. Someone with 30 years with no additional state pension and never contracted out would therefore get a pension of 30/35 of the full rate or around £123 per week (based on the illustrative £144 starting rate used in the single-tier White Paper).
	For those people with pre-implementation national insurance records, at the point we implement the new system, we will calculate their national insurance records under the rules of the old system (basic state pension plus additional state pension, less any adjustment for contracting out) and under the new system (single-tier pension less any adjustment for contracting out). We will then base someone's state pension on the higher of these two values; in the single-tier White Paper we call this figure a 'Foundation Amount'.
	Where someone's Foundation Amount in 2016 is below the full single-tier rate, many people will have the opportunity to increase this amount through additional single-tier qualifying years they gain before reaching state pension age, at a rate of 1/35th of the full single-tier rate. This could be through qualifying years of national insurance contributions through work or paying voluntary contributions or national insurance credits.
	Note:
	Results are based on the Department's PENSIM2 model. This is a dynamic micro-simulation model designed to project pensioners' incomes to 2100. As such, the model is best suited to comparing long-term trends and differences between groups rather than to providing short range estimates. The figures should only be used as an indication of state pension outcomes and estimates are subject to sampling uncertainty and are rounded to the nearest five percentage points.

Unemployed People: Internet

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of jobseekers who lack skills to use the internet in (a) Glasgow North West constituency, (b) Glasgow, (c) Scotland and (d) the UK.

Mark Hoban: Employers are increasingly advertising vacancies only via the internet, and requiring IT skills as part of the specifications for jobs. So we are currently piloting a Digital Skills Assessment Tool in four Jobcentres in the East of Scotland. This is used by advisers to assess claimant’s digital ability. The Department has not made any such estimate however The Carnegie Trust has published a report on Digital Exclusion in Glasgow which can be found at:
	http://www.carnegieuktrust.org.uk/publications/2013/across-the-divide---full-report

Unemployed People: Internet

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Jobcentre Plus staff about whether jobseekers do not accurately portray their internet and IT skills.

Mark Hoban: There have been no such discussions. However, all claimants have a Personal Adviser whose role it is to support them back into work. If an Adviser identifies the need for IT skills training they can discuss this with the jobseeker and arrange for suitable training. We are currently piloting a Digital Skills Assessment Tool in 4 Jobcentres in the East of Scotland. This is used by advisers to assess claimant's digital ability.

Unemployed People: Internet

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has done into the accuracy of self-assessment of internet and IT skills by jobseekers.

Mark Hoban: We have done no such research. We are however trialling a digital skills assessment tool in four jobcentres in Scotland. This is designed to assist advisers identify and assess claimants digital skills.

Universal Credit

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much of the £2 billion universal credit spending envelope was spent in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and how much he forecasts will be spent in (i) 2013-14 and (ii) 2014-15.

Mark Hoban: Of the £2 billion budget, spend in 2011-12 was 5%, and in 2012-13 16%. Plans continue to be developed to support the gradual roll-out from autumn 2013 within budget.

Universal Credit: North West

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  for what reasons acceptance of claims for universal credit in pathfinder project areas of Wigan, Warrington and Oldham has been deferred;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of (a) the financial implications and (b) the administrative cost of the deferral of acceptance of claims for universal credit in the pathfinder project areas of Wigan, Warrington and Oldham;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the number of claimants who are affected by the deferral of acceptance of claims for universal credit in the pathfinder project areas of Wigan, Warrington and Oldham.

Mark Hoban: We have always made clear that the Pathfinder had been planned as an early implementation of universal credit. Any question of deferring the take-on of claims, or any costs associated with deferral, does not therefore arise. Our Jobcentres in Oldham, Wigan, and Warrington are already trialling elements of universal credit, including the new Claimant Commitment and signing people onto Universal Jobmatch. People living in Ashton-Under-Lyne are the first able to make new claims to universal credit. That will expand to Wigan, Warrington and Oldham when we are satisfied, on the basis of experience in Ashton-Under-Lyne, that it is appropriate to do so.

Universal Credit: Scotland

Eilidh Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any changes have been made to the designated date for the introduction of universal credit in Scotland; and whether he anticipates any future changes to the timetable for the introduction of that programme.

Mark Hoban: Decisions on the timing of the roll-out of universal credit in Scotland have not yet been finalised.

Work Programme

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of employment and support allowance claimants in (a) the work related activity group and (b) support group find paid employment;
	(2)  what the off flows from the (a) work related activity and (b) support groups have been to date, by reasons for leaving.

Mark Hoban: The information requested on off-flows from ESA claimants in (a) work related activity and (b) support groups can be found at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd1/tabtools/guidance.pdf
	The information requested on the reasons for leaving employment and support allowance (ESA) is not available but in 2012 the Department published research on the destinations of a sample of claimants leaving jobseeker's allowance, income support and employment and support allowance. The research report is available here:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2011-2012/rrep791.pdf
	Section 4.4 looks at the outcomes of claimants leaving ESA in this sample, including the proportion going into paid work.

Work Programme

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the spending budget in the Spending Review for the Work Programme was in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14.

Mark Hoban: The spending review 2010 settlement included the following resource DEL budgets for the Work programme:
	
		
			  £ million 
			 2011-12 433 
			 2012-13 737 
			 2013-14 636

Work Programme

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  if he will strengthen the minimum service standards for the Work programme to provide a better service for homeless people;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to improve job outcomes for homeless people in the Work programme.

Mark Hoban: Providers set out their minimum service standards as part of their bids for Work programme contracts. These standards have been published and providers must make them clear to all participants when they join the Work programme. The Department for Work and Pensions carries out regular compliance checks to ensure these standards are being met.
	If a participant is concerned that their provider is not meeting their minimum service standards, then they are able to raise the issue with their provider. If the participant is not satisfied with their provider’s response, they are then able to escalate the complaint to the Independent Case Examiner.
	I have also set up the Work Programme: Building Best Practice group, which is independently chaired by Andrew Sells. This group will set up a framework to promote the sharing of best practice, with a particular focus on the harder to help such as claimants who are homeless. It will also explore best practice for minimum service levels, to ensure that they are transparent and measurable.